Reportedly, simple accounting questions led a Pennsylvania man to discover almost $70,000 in financial loss for two of his businesses. Allegedly, the accountant handling his book keeping initially confessed to her errors when he confronted her. She is now navigating the criminal court system and has been formally charged with theft.
The 54-year-old bookkeeper allegedly stole money from the businessman over a period of almost two years. Reportedly, she falsified the number of hours she worked by claiming that she worked more, resulting in increased income for the woman. Although she was not authorized to do so, it is also claimed that she increased her hourly pay without notifying the business owner.
Allegedly, after the business owner confronted the woman about the accounting discrepancies he discovered, he alerted authorities and an audit was completed. Over the two year period, it is alleged that she also wrote herself 39 checks from business funds by disguising them as business expenses. The audit apparently revealed $67,690.08 of stolen funds over the two years, leading to the woman’s arrest. She now faces felony and misdemeanor charges for forgery, tampering of records and theft.
An accusation and formal charges of theft can create a myriad of difficulties for a defendant. Anyone convicted of a misdemeanor or felony charge may face fines, possible jail time and see their reputation suffer. Those individuals in Pennsylvania accused of theft or any other crime could benefit from the counsel of an attorney with criminal defense experience to best understand how to handle the legal situation.
Source: goerie.com, “Corry woman charged in thefts from businesses,” Tim Hahn, July 13, 2017
