White Collar Crime Can Equal Prison Time

White Collar Crime can result in significant jail time.

Alleged crimes occur in a variety of settings. Violent crimes are not the only acts that can result in lengthy jail time if convicted. A recent white collar case in Midland is a prime example. A husband and wife are currently sitting in jail on six felony counts of embezzlement for allegedly taking $1 million from a dentist. The wife, who worked for the dentist, allegedly embezzled the money over a 10-year span. She is being charged with two felony counts for embezzling $100,000 or more and another count for embezzling between $50,000 and $100,000. The charges could result in a 20-year jail sentence.

The husband is also being charged with two felony counts of embezzlement by an agent between $1,000 and $20,000. Each charge carries a five-year sentence. The charges stem from the two sharing a bank account and evidence that the husband made two deposits into the account. In these types of cases, it can be difficult to establish knowledge of the allegedly criminal act by a spouse. However, prosecutors often attempt to make the link that a shared bank account and usage of the account correlates to knowledge of the crime. The outcome is a potentially innocent spouse getting wrapped up in legal problems that they never knew about.

White collar crimes like embezzlement can often be hard for the prosecution to prove. They regularly span years of repeated criminal activity. Often times, prosecutors cannot point to a sharp rise in the purchase of luxury goods to prove its case. For example, it is typically difficult to determine how much was embezzled and in what time span. Money constantly moves in and out of many people’s accounts for a variety of reasons – including lawful ones. Charges of embezzling $100,000 must be proven by showing that at least $100,000 was embezzled within one calendar year. A technicality like the time span in which money was embezzled can be significant to a case when prosecutors have mounting evidence of bank account deposits and other transfers of money.

If you have been charged with any white collar crime in Michigan, contacting an experienced Michigan criminal defense attorney needs to be your next step.