How an Embezzlement Attorney in Maryland Can Help You

If you or someone you love is facing charges for embezzlement, you need an experienced professional to stand beside you and ensure that your case is handled fairly and competently.

Whether you were mistakenly accused, or you made some mistakes, you deserve a trusted embezzlement attorney in Maryland by your side.

To speak with an experienced Rockville embezzlement attorney, contact the team at Houlon Berman today.

Understanding the Charges

Embezzlement is a type of white collar crime, a general category of non-violent crimes typically motivated by money or financial gain. Your embezzlement defense lawyer should have extensive experience in handling white collar crime cases in general and embezzlement cases in particular.

Traditionally, this type of crime carries a lighter sentence at a lower-security facility than more violent offenses, but the recent economic climate has made the public, and therefore the Courts, less sympathetic to white collar crime. This makes it even more important to have an embezzlement attorney with a strong record of successful representation of clients charged with white collar crimes.

How is Embezzlement Different from Theft?

The difference between white collar crimes, such as embezzlement, from more traditional theft, lies in the relationship between the person committing the crime and the owner of the money or property being stolen. When a person holds a position of trust in which he is authorized by the property’s owner to hold or manage their money, and he uses that position of trust to take any portion of that money for his own use or benefit without proper authorization, he has committed embezzlement.

There is no specific scale in the crime of embezzlement; an embezzler can be a cashier who pockets money out of his cash drawer, or a hedge fund manager who helps himself to the life savings of his wealthy clients – or anyone in between. As long as a relationship of trust exists in which a person has been authorized to handle or access another’s money or property, and that trust is abused for the personal gain of the proxy at the expense of the owner, the crime of embezzlement has been committed. When accused, it’s important to secure the services of an experienced embezzlement attorney firm early to begin preliminary fact-finding that may help in being acquitted.

What’s at Stake – Penalties for Embezzlement

Even before any formal charges are filed, the social penalties associated with embezzlement can be steep. If the crime was work-related, you’ll almost certainly be fired and may lose any license or certification associated with your career. However, if your embezzlement attorney is able to secure an acquittal, it may be possible to save your professional reputation and career future.

The possible sentences for embezzlement vary by state and many such cases are prosecuted in Federal Courts. The most basic penalty you may face involves being ordered to pay restitution for the value of the embezzled funds and court costs; this payment is in addition to any criminal fines which may be levied, which are punitive in nature rather than compensatory.

Criminal penalties escalate from there. A skilled embezzlement attorney may be able to win you a suspended sentence, which will typically involve a period of a number of years of probation, sometimes accompanied by community service. However, depending on the severity of the crime and the amount stolen, you may face time in prison. As non-violent offenders, defendants convicted of embezzlement usually serve their time in lower-security facilities, but serious offenders can face very lengthy sentences for embezzlement.

Other White Collar Crimes

Fraud

Fraud encompasses a wide variety of crimes and schemes, including wire fraud, bank fraud, mortgage fraud, tax fraud, access device fraud and others. The uniting factor in all cases of fraud is the presence of some material misrepresentation within a scheme to defraud perpetuated by one person or group with the intent to reap financial gain at another’s expense.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is a related crime in which the perpetrator fraudulently obtains another person’s identifying information such as name, ID numbers, credit or financial information, or other personal details, and uses them to access resources, open credit accounts, or otherwise profit at the impersonated individual’s expense and without their authorization.

Conviction of Aggravated Identity Theft, which prohibits the use of a “means of identification” in connection with a scheme to defraud, carries a mandatory minimum two (2) year term of incarceration.

Click here to view our main identity theft page and learn more.

Contact Houlon Berman

These and other white collar crimes represent serious charges that you should not have to face without an experienced Greenbelt or Rockville embezzlement attorney by your side, fighting to protect your rights.