In North Carolina, embezzlement charges are taken very seriously, and those who are charged with embezzlement will face harsh penalties that correlate with their crimes. Embezzlement is the unlawful taking of another person’s property by those placed in charge of managing or handling it, and this trust is violated when the responsible person takes the property or funds for their own personal gain. In order for a theft to be considered embezzlement, the party stealing the property must have lawful access to it, but no permission to use it for their own purposes.
Embezzlement crimes in North Carolina can occur in a variety of settings, from the personal to business oriented. Some examples of these crimes would be a treasurer for a fundraiser taking some of the funds raised for his or her own use, or a family member caring for the funds of another member of their family taking some of the funds for themselves. In these cases, the person stealing the funds or property must be placed in charge of handling them for another person or entity.
North Carolina Laws And Penalties
Embezzlement cases are not only judged on the amount of the property in question under North Carolina law, but the relationship the defendant has with the victim also comes into play as well. These laws and penalties will include:
- Public employee cases involving property valued at under $100,000: For public employees such as court employees or local government employees whose embezzlement case revolves around property valued at an amount less than or equal to $100,000 a penalty of 20 to 25 months in prison may be faced.
- Public employee cases involving property valued at more than $100,000: If the property in the case is valued at a greater amount than $100,000, the public employee will then face harsher charges as well as a prison sentence of 59 to 73 months.
- Other defendant cases valued at $100,000 or less: If the defendant is not a public employee and their case involves property valued at under $100,000, they may face a sentence of 5 to 6 months in jail.
- Other defendant cases valued at more than $100,000: If the defendant’s case involves money or property valued at more than $100,000, they will face a prison sentence between 59 and 73 months.
North Carolina Embezzlement Penalties
Penalties incurred when a person is convicted of embezzlement in the state of North Carolina will depend on their relationship to the victim as well as the monetary value amount of the property in question. Public employees are punished more harshly than other defendants due to the position of power they hold, and these penalties can include both prison sentences as well as large fines.
For other defendants involved in embezzlement cases that are not public officials, embezzlement convictions can carry penalties of jail sentences, prison sentences, or fines.
Certain monetary amount ranges are put into place when judging embezzlement cases for all defendants in the state, and a person will be given a penalty that reflects the property amount in question with their individual case.
Statute Of Limitations On North Carolina
Because embezzlement is considered to be a felony crime in North Carolina, there is no statute of limitations on the crime. The statute of limitations is the period of time in which a person can be brought to court to face charges for their crimes, and a person facing embezzlement charges can be brought to court at any time after their crimes have been committed or discovered.
Key North Carolina Embezzlement Cases
- Insurance Agent Faces Embezzlement Charges – A 52-year-old North Wilkesboro, North Carolina man is facing 16 counts of embezzlement charges by an insurance agent. As a former Farms Bureau insurance agent, the man was depositing insurance premium payments into his own account for personal use over the course of 6 months.
- Embezzlement Victims Yet to be Paid Back in Neill Case – After a Hendersonville, North Carolina attorney plead guilty to embezzling over $3 million from various client estates, victims of the crime are still waiting for their funds to be returned.
- Ex-Dobson Firefighters Charged in Theft – 3 Former Dobson volunteer firefighters were charged with one count each of felony embezzlement by a public official after stealing over $30,000 worth of equipment from the station in which they worked as well as a private ambulance service location.
- North Carolina Lawmaker Charged in State Tax Case is out of Jail – A 56-year-old Siler City, North Carolina state representative is out of jail after being charged with 3 counts of embezzling state property. She was accused of helping Carolina Family Practice to withhold more than $47,000 in state taxes over the course of 2 years from 2011 to 2013.