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Employee theft can cost companies millions of dollars

On Behalf of | Oct 24, 2019 | White Collar Crimes

Employee theft is so much more than just taking one or two extra pens from your company’s supply cabinet. Employee embezzlement, in its various forms, can cost companies millions of dollars and have a significant impact on the success of a business.

There are different forms of internal employee fraud, but they have one thing in common: they are all ways for employees to illegally take money from the company. Payroll fraud is a common form of employee fraud, where employees falsify timesheets, inflate overtime hours, falsify expense reports, or directly steal payroll checks. In some cases, a payroll clerk may also commit fraud by manually adding hours to an employee’s timesheet or increasing their rate of pay.

Ghost employees, or employees that don’t exist, are commonly used to fraudulently collect extra cash from an employer. The perpetrator, typically someone who works in payroll, may falsify personnel records by creating a fictional employee or using a real person who is not employed with the company in question. As a result, paychecks will be issued to this fake employee and the perpetrator will convert the paychecks, using the funds for their own personal use.

Ohio cases involving employee fraud in any capacity involve a serious violation of trust and can result in devastating consequences. If you are an employee facing theft, embezzlement, or fraud charges, it may be beneficial for you to speak to a defense attorney specializing in white collar crimes. An attorney can defend you against these charges and potentially help you avoid jail time, significant fines, and loss of employment.

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