When someone is charged with robbery or simple theft, Louisiana prosecutors rely on relatively straightforward evidence. They call witnesses, show security camera video to the jury and otherwise reveal direct evidence of the crime, if they can. Embezzlement, fraud and other white collar crimes typically involve much more complicated evidence that is harder to explain to a jury.
Recently, a Louisiana man was arrested and faces felony embezzlement charges after prosecutors said he stole nearly $100,000 from his former employer. He was previously convicted of embezzlement in the theft of $35,000 from the City of Shreveport when he worked for the government in 1991.
Prosecutors said the recent theft occurred in increments over the course of almost two years from January 2012 to the end of 2013 during the time the man worked for Trinity Southern Foods. Police said the man took cash and altered accounting records to hide his theft. In organizing their case against the man, authorities investigated company records, bank records and other material.
Embezzlement differs from other types of theft in that the person accused of taking the assets was in a position of trust or responsibility over the property. Like fraud and other types of white collar crimes, it typically involves people either stealing from their employers or using their jobs to steal from others, and thus embezzlement is usually a crime committed in the workplace setting.
Often, prosecutors allege that the accused used sophisticated means to commit and conceal their embezzlement. As a result, prosecutors use a lot of relatively complex evidence when they are trying to convict a person on embezzlement charges. The accused must be prepared to be just as sophisticated in their defense, if not more so. A Louisiana attorney with experience in defending difficult white collar crime cases can help the accused to build the most effective defense strategy they can.
Source: ArkLaTexHomePage.com, “Man charged with embezzling $100,000 from employer,” March 13, 2014