Embezzlement is a crime committed by a trusted insider. It could be a longtime employee, an association member, a government official, a business executive and even a non-profit board member. Anyone caught in the net of embezzlement will have a hard time entangling themselves.
They face many potentially harsh consequences such as incarceration, probation, steep fines, restitution and a civil lawsuit as the final cherry on top. People accused of embezzlement typically have underlying financial problems or a propensity to overspend in compulsive manners. Perhaps you have a gambling addiction or the need to keep up with the Joneses wanting to outdo friends and neighbors on the pleasure and the conspicuous consumption front.
Many variations of this offense exist
Besides criminal charges, you face personal and professional disgrace. Your reputation may be all you have now, and it is has taken a significant hit. You must focus now on rebooting your life and making changes.
Embezzlement can occur in a number of ways such as:
- The forging of checks
- Cashing customer checks
- Overbilling customers
- Stealing a customer’s credit card data
- Padding expense accounts
- Personal use of company credit cards
- Siphoning cash deposits in small increments
- Stealing money from fundraising activities
- Identity theft
For embezzlement cases, common defense strategies include lack of evidence; good faith as well as legitimate business reasons; and duress due to outside forces led to the embezzlement. Fighting these charges proves challenging, but it can be done as long as you have an astute criminal defense attorney as your advocate.
