Defining Embezzlement

Posted By The Law Offices of Jeffrey C. Grass || 30-Mar-2015

Embezzlement is a type of white collar crime that is broadly defined as illegally taking money or property that had been entrusted to the individual, such as via employment or a partnership in a business. Embezzlement is a type of theft. However, not all thefts are embezzlement. For example, if an individual breaks into an electronics store to steal cash and other items, this is not embezzlement. If that same individual works for the electronics store and skimmed off the top of the cash register, this act is embezzlement.

The difference primarily lies in the fact that the individual who is accused of embezzlement was entrusted with the money or property. The employee of the electronics store is legally able to accept customers’ money in a business transaction. In other words, the employee did not initially obtain the money illegally, yet the employee later misappropriated the money by failing to return all of it to the store. Embezzlement doesn’t only occur in retail establishments. It may also refer to an executive that siphons money from a company’s accounts into his or her own accounts. Anyone accused of this serious crime should contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer promptly.

Have you or a loved one been accused of a white collar crime in Dallas? Call and let the criminal defense team at the Law Offices of Jeffrey C. Grass help.