Embezzlement is defined as the wrongful taking of money in any form from a company, an employer, or a business. Such a crime comes in many shapes and forms, and is associated with significant penalties, including jail time and fines that can alter an individual’s life in the long-term.
To best prevent such consequences from occurring, it is important to consult with a New York theft lawyer as soon as possible. An experienced embezzlement attorney in New York can challenge the charge and help minimize or dismiss any penalties you may be facing.
Types of EmbezzlementEmbezzlement could be charged in a variety of ways. It could be brought forward through fraudulently manipulating invoices, misappropriation or misuse of a company credit card, not declaring money nor putting it in a safe or a cash register, or by altering checks that are coming into the company and putting it in the person’s own bank account. These are just some of the ways that such a crime could occur. Further examples of such crimes can be best explained by an embezzlement lawyer in New York City.
An individual could also “cook the books”, meaning they go on to a computer and alter transactions to conceal the theft.
Such a charge manifests itself in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Grand larceny, for example, is a crime of embezzlement. This charge is presented when an individual is appropriating and taking money, which normally belongs to someone else’s business or company.
When the person exceeds the taking of $1,000, it is a felony offense. Such an offense can carry significant penalties, making it crucial that an individual contact a New York embezzlement attorney as soon as possible.
Embezzlement vs. TheftLarceny is theft. Larceny is when a person intends to deprive a person or a business of property or appropriate that property to themselves or somebody else while wrongfully taking it from the owner.
Such a theft could be a wrongful taking, it could be holding their property, it can be done through a trick, or through a trespass, or it could be done based on extortion, a false promise, or a bad check. There are different varieties to larceny and one of those is embezzlement. Such circumstances can be better explained by a New York City embezzlement lawyer.
The important thing that ties them all together is that larceny, regardless of its form, other than some exceptions, is that the degree of the crime is defined by the dollar amount of the value of the property wrongfully stolen or taken, irrespective of what it is.
Whether it is embezzlement, larceny by a trick, acquiring lost property, or issuing a bad check, the degree of the crime is going to be based on the value.
Other than some few circumstances where, for example, the person stole secret scientific material, such as a proprietary code to a hedge fund, or if the person stole a debit card or a credit card, those are automatically felonies. However, these cases are few and far between. For an individual to determine how their crime fits into the realm of embezzlement or theft, it is important to contact a New York embezzlement lawyer immediately.