With many types of financial theft charges, a key part of the allegation is that the individual was never supposed to access those funds at all. They did so illegally and without permission. This could include physically taking cash from a business or accessing bank accounts by hacking into them over the internet.
With embezzlement charges, though, things can often be a bit different. The person in question may have been granted the authority to access the funds. The focus of the allegations is on how they used those funds and whether or not they misappropriated them for personal gain.
Who would be granted access?
This is why embezzlement charges are often focused on people who work for businesses and are granted access to that business’s funds or financial assets.
They have not done anything illegal by accessing the company’s bank account. Maybe they work in the financial department at that business, so they have already been granted permission to log into certain bank accounts and even make financial transfers on the company’s behalf.
Embezzlement occurs when they misappropriate the money in those accounts in a way that benefits themselves and goes against both the business’s best interests and the permission that was given to them.
A simple example would be if a worker in the financial department transfers money into their own bank account. They may then try to hide the transaction in some way, such as doctoring the financial records or altering the books to disguise the fact that they took money from the company for themselves.
You can see how theft and embezzlement are similar, but there are some very important key distinctions. Those who are facing white collar charges should learn more about their legal defense options and seek guidance as early as possible.