Embezzlement is the illegal taking of money or property by a person who was entrusted with the money or property, with the intent to defraud somebody. Most often, embezzlement involves money. Any differences between federal embezzlement and state level embezzlement depend on the specifics of the particular state law versus federal law. State law and federal law basically have the same elements for embezzlement. Virginia federal embezzlement penalties can be quite harsh which is why it is important to work with a skilled embezzlement lawyer. Your lawyer could mount a solid defense and attempt to mitigate the penalties that you may face.
Different Kinds of Embezzlement Offenses
Embezzlement can be charged in a variety of ways in the federal context. For example, embezzlement can be charged in the context of stealing from a government program or from a non-profit. It could be charged as stealing from a trade union or other institution with different offices that cross state lines. There are many factors that affect the type of sentence or the charges that come out of it when government officials or more than five people are involved. The amount of money involved is another factor. Federal prosecutors treat embezzlement cases quite harshly. The prosecutor is trying to draw a line in the sand when it comes to embezzlement to send the message that this type of activity is not going to be tolerated.
Legal Penalties for Embezzlement Charges
Virginia federal embezzlement penalties can be extremely severe depending on the dollar amount involved and whether the person is in a position of trust, a government official or more than five people are involved in the embezzlement scheme. All of these factors drive the potential sentence. A federal embezzlement conviction can make it almost impossible for someone to get a job that involves financial responsibility. A conviction for this type of activity is a death sentence as far as employment.
The consequences of a federal embezzlement conviction are numerous. There is the possibility of going to jail and as soon as the verdict comes in if the person was not locked up previously. They could be locked up before sentencing and that is a concern. When someone is convicted of embezzlement, they can lose the right to vote in addition to the possibility of a long prison sentence. The person can lose federal benefits, and lose the opportunity to apply for certain types of federal loans.
Aggravating Factors in Embezzlement Cases
The main factor that can cause Virginia federal embezzlement penalties to increase is the amount of money involved. There is also the question of whether the person was involved in a position of position of trust. In other words, the person had the ability to take advantage of someone because of their position. For example, an accountant at a company is in a position of trust. They are entrusted with financial information and essentially, the keys to the vault. When a person embezzles the funds they are entrusted with, there are enhancements to their sentence because of their position of trust. When the person is a government official and they are in a decision making position in the government agency from which they are embezzling, that can lead to a large enhancement because the law is designed to punish that.
