How Pinellas County Handles Embezzlement and Misuse of Company Funds

Embezzlement is usually thought to be a charge for corporate executives, but this charge is often lodged against employees, business partners, bookkeepers, and others in positions of financial trust. 

Because these cases often involve a violation of professional and personal confidence, prosecutors pursue them aggressively, and convictions can be devastating, especially without guidance from an experienced criminal defense attorney in Clearwater with The Law Offices of Marc N. Pelletier.

What is Embezzlement in Pinellas County?

At its core, embezzlement is the unlawful or unauthorized use of money or property that was entrusted to someone for business purposes. Rather than an outright theft, it often will involve deception, concealment, or manipulation of financial records.

Common examples of embezzlement can include falsifying expense reports, siphoning off company revenues, misdirecting client payments, or using corporate credit cards for personal purchases. If you are being charged with embezzlement, the first step you need to take is to contact a criminal defense attorney in St. Petersburg.

What is Considered Misuse of Company Funds?

While embezzlement and misuse of funds are terms that can seem to overlap frequently, misuse includes a wider range of actions. For example, a business partner may take company money for personal use, disguise unauthorized withdrawals as simple “accounting errors,” or submit false reimbursements.

Other examples include paying fictitious vendors, creating ghost employees on payroll to pay themselves, setting aside money, or repeatedly using business credit cards for non-business purposes. Even smaller, repeated infractions can add up to serious charges if they show a pattern of intentional misuse.

Penalties for Embezzlement in Florida

The severity of penalties for embezzlement in Florida depends largely on the value of funds taken:

• If under $750, the offense is considered petit theft, which is a misdemeanor
• If between $750 and $20,000, it becomes a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison
• If between $20,000 and $100,000, it is classified as a second-degree felony, carrying up to 15 years in prison
• If exceeding $100,000, it is charged as a first-degree felony, which can lead to up to 30 years in prison

Aside from extreme financial loss and/or probation, for professionals, including certified public accountants, nurses, and other licensed workers, an embezzlement conviction is also likely to lead to the revocation or suspension of their professional license.

Protect Your Rights and Seek Legal Guidance from the Most Trusted Law Firm in Clearwater

Because embezzlement charges often rely on financial records and accusations of intentional misconduct, these cases can be highly complex and should not be navigated alone. Our criminal defense attorneys in Clearwater have combined decades of success in handling embezzlement cases. 

Take action today. Call the criminal defense attorney in St. Petersburg with The Law Offices of Marc N. Pelletier at (727) 493-9386 or request a free consultation.