White collar criminal activity that is alleged in Texas or elsewhere covers a lot of ground, making each case — and every defendant — distinctly different. High-profile matters often relate to subjects such as Ponzi schemes, insider market trading, drug trafficking and large-scale bribery, but they just as often involve far more pedestrian matters.
Take embezzlement, for instance. Many readers of our Houston criminal defense blog at Hilder & Associates might reasonably associate that with a high-level taking of corporate funds by an individual or team of inside principals.
And that sometimes turns out to be the case. Just as often, though, embezzlement focuses upon a corporate employee who toils away in a mid-rung or even lower position far removed from a company’s corridors of power.
That relatively modest job placement can render a worker especially vulnerable and defenseless if he or she is targeted in a white collar crime investigation. And it enhances the possibility that alleged misconduct owes to simple negligence or a good-faith mistake rather than to any purposeful attempt to commit crime.
We spotlight that reality concerning embezzlement (which often turns out to be the case) on our website, flatly noting that in the corporate world, “errors may occur.”
Unfortunately, those mistakes can give rise to grievous criminal penalties for those adjudged to be wrongdoers. Notably, top-end corporate executives and managers are less frequently implicated in embezzlement probes than are employees lower on the corporate ladder who are tasked with mainstream accounting and related duties.
An online overview concerning the elements and proof requirements linked with embezzlement duly stresses that ambiguities relating to the charge can “leave a lot of room open” for a proven criminal defense attorney to explore.
The key for an accused offender, notes that article, “is having a strong and trusted advocate by your side.”
We agree, and welcome contacts to our firm from individuals with any questions or concerns relating to a criminal law charge.
