When you think of major theft from a business, you probably consider things like embezzlement. This may happen when an accountant doctors the books to hide the fact that they took tens of thousands of dollars from the company. It is a large-scale crime, and while it does happen, it is not all that common.
However, many employees are accused of theft from the workplace. It may not be this type of high-value embezzlement, but it is still theft. How often does this happen?
Most employees have done this at least once
While it is hard to get completely accurate statistics because a lot of this goes unnoticed, some studies have asked employees if they have ever stolen from their place of employment. Without the fear of ramifications, a staggering 75% of them admitted that they had done it at least once.
The range of theft can be fairly wide. Some employees may report simply taking snacks or small office items home with them. Other employees may have stolen much more high-value assets. Some may do it consistently and believe that they will never be caught, while others may have only done it in a very specific situation and would never do it again. But the fact remains that most employees have committed this type of theft at some point. That does not mean you have.
If you’ve been accused of embezzlement or theft, it can be life-changing. You could lose your job, and you could spend time behind bars, have to pay fines, and much more. Make sure you know about all of your criminal defense options.
