A man discovered to have swindled nearly $1 million from his former employer paid all of the money back before trial but was still sentenced to serve 3 years and 7 months in prison according to Oregon Live. According to the story, this man wasn’t just a clerk stealing a few dollars out of the cash drawer—he was the Chief Financial Officer and shareholder for a pool liner company.
He worked for the company beginning in 2002 and began taking money after less than two weeks on the job. When the company was sold in 2006, he stayed on as the CFO, making $3.4 million off the sale. It wasn’t until 2009 that his bad work habits were discovered.
The new owner of the company noticed over $117,000 had gone to the man’s personal expenses. At that time, he repaid the $117,000 and resigned.
It wasn’t until an independent audit firm took a closer look that it was discovered just how much the man had actually taken, closer to $1 million. Apparently not a poor man, he repaid all of the stolen money before going to trial. He explained this to the judge and that he was an active member in the community, volunteering at church.
Despite his seeming regret for the crimes, he was sentenced to 3 years and 7 months in prison. As the district attorney said, “There have been cases of people who have embezzled less than this and done more time.”
Essentially, embezzlement is theft from an employer. Theft of more than $1 million is considered Aggravated Theft in the 1st Degree and actually carries a potential 10 year sentence. Considering the possibilities, this particular defendant seems to have made off quite well. In many cases, providing partial or full restitution can reduce or even eliminate jail terms when convicted of an embezzlement charge.
Theft charges are scary to face. Anytime you are facing several years behind bars, it’s completely normal to be stressed and concerned about your future. While pointing out your good qualities and potentially trying to make things right before trial can help slightly, it’s not often enough to do away with the repercussions of your criminal act altogether.
Whether it’s theft charges or assault charges, you need a defense attorney on your side willing to stand up for your rights and to help you fight the charges against you. Contact our Oregon defense lawyers today to discuss the details of your case and how we can go about dealing with them.