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3 Examples of Embezzlement

Embezzlement occurs when an employee or someone else with close access to a business steals money from the company. All three components of the crime are necessary for an embezzlement charge, including:

  • When in a position of trust and confidence, the individual was given access to property that someone else owned.
  • The individual took or hid the property, or somehow converted it into their own use without receiving consent from the owner to do so.
  • The intent of the individual must have been to permanently take ownership of the assets away from the owner.

There is an expansive range of actions that can be considered embezzlement as a result of this vast description. Embezzlement can occur in a small-scale production at a local store, or can also be a major operation at a significant multi-state or multi-national organization.

The following are three examples of embezzlement you should be aware of:

#1 - Forging checks.

When this type of embezzlement occurs, an individual with access to the company’s books writes a company check to themselves and then falsifies the books to hide the theft.

#2 - Cashing client checks.

This occurs when an individual in the company endorses checks from clients and cashes them, but keeps the money for themselves. This can also happen if an employee sets up an account with a fictitious name that sounds like the name of the company they are embezzling money from in order to receive electronic payments from the company’s customers.

#3 - Overcharging customers.

In this case, an employee will overcharge customers and keep the additional funds for themselves. The employee then accounts for the discrepancies using falsified accounting entries.

This can also occur in other ways, such as when an employee charges customers the same amount multiple times. In other instances, an employee may overbill customers for a small amount for several years. Additionally, this can occur if an employee charges customers for goods or services they never asked for.

If you’ve been arrested for embezzlement, our team is here to help you clear your name of the charges. We have helped many other people in similar situations, and we may be able to help you too.

Contact our office today by calling (770) 884-4708 or by filling out the online contact form to discuss the details of your case with our skilled Atlanta criminal defense attorney.

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