A middle-aged woman who is a divorced mother of four was recently caught stealing from her employer. The woman receives payments for permanent disability from the Social Security Administration. She allegedly used a company credit card and the owner of the company’s bank account information to make personal purchases. Specifically, she spent nearly $4,600 at Home Depot, nearly $3,600 with PayPal, over $4,500 with AT&T, and over $6,100 on Progressive Insurance Company payments.
The woman allegedly continued stealing from her employer for two years until one of the bookkeepers who worked for the company started finding discrepancies in the company’s account while doing an audit. In many employee embezzlement cases, employees will get away with stealing until the company decides to audit their accounts and start seeing transactions that are amiss.
Penalties for Embezzlement From Your Employers
The woman turned herself into the Wilmette Police Department. She is now facing criminal theft charges. The crime of embezzlement is more serious than theft. Embezzlement occurs when someone trusted to manage property or money for another person steals all are part of the money or property entrusted to them for their personal gain. In Illinois, prosecutors need to prove the following elements to convict a person of embezzlement:
- The defendant had a fiduciary relationship with the victim
- The defendant acquired the property through this relationship
- The defendant takes ownership of the property or transfers the property to a third party for his or her own personal gain
- The defendant’s actions are intentional and are not accidental
As with most theft crimes, the penalties for embezzlement depend on the amount of money allegedly stolen. The type of property that was also stolen factors into the penalties. For example, if someone steals from a place of worship or school, he or she will face enhanced sentencing. The woman mentioned above will be charged with embezzlement of $10,000 to $100,000. This classification of embezzlement is a Class 2 felony punishable by three to seven years in jail and fines of up to $25,000.
The penalties for embezzlement increase as the value of the property that was stolen increases. For example, if a person steals between 100,000 and $500,000, they will face class 1 felony charges punishable by four to 15 years in prison and fines up to $25,000. If the victim is a government property or place of worship, the penalties would be enhanced to a six-to-30-year prison sentence and fines up to $25,000.
Charged With Embezzlement by Your Employer? We Can Help
Facing embezzlement charges for stealing from an employer can be overwhelming. If you have been charged with embezzlement, you need an experienced attorney on your side. Contact Glasgow & Olsson today to schedule your initial consultation to learn how our legal team can fight for your rights if you have been charged with a crime.