Santa Wasn't The Only One Busy Christmas Eve: Embezzlement

Embezzlements occur throughout the year, and Christmas season is no exception.  In fact, in my experience the rate of theft and embezzlement is greater in the November and December time period, commonly with the illicit proceeds used to fund holiday shopping for family and friends.  Many of these thefts may not be discovered until the Spring, or even later.

In several cases I have investigated that spanned the holiday months, I have seen spikes in the amounts and frequency of the thefts.  Every employer should take the time in January and February to look back and thoroughly review the activity leading up to the end of the calendar year, to ensure no “holiday” theft occurred.

In many embezzlement cases the police are notified, and once sufficient evidence has been obtained to support an arrest, the police obtain an arrest warrant for the suspect’s arrest.  Once issued, the arrest warrant can be executed at any time, although it is common for financial criminals to come in quietly along with their attorney to turn themselves in.

As much as victims desire to have the suspect locked up during holidays, most police agencies look hard at whether key holiday times, such as Christmas Eve, would be the best time to execute an arrest, especially given financial criminals are generally non-violent.

Below is the link to a case I found today where the suspect, the former CFO of a company, was arrested Christmas eve, accused of stealing close to $400,000.

What struck me as odd regarding this story was the fact that they arrested the CFO at his home on Christmas eve, especially in light that the article stated the investigation lasted six months, and also the fact that the police requested anyone with information to call 911, the number reserved for emergencies.  Most every agency frowns upon using 911 for anything but emergencies.

There’s obviously much more to this story than what was published.

Here’s the URL:

http://www.yorkdispatch.com/news/ci_16934303

3 thoughts on “Santa Wasn't The Only One Busy Christmas Eve: Embezzlement”

  1. Thanks for taking the time to write this article. It is always great to read someones perspective. I need to make some time to revisit and explore the remainder of the content . thanks.

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