Embezzlement Scheme in Ojai

Last year, the Ojai Unified School District discovered that one of its employees was engaged in embezzlement from the district. A routine review of cancelled checks led to the discovery of payments to a vendor that district officials did not recognize. Further investigation showed that the “vendor” was actually the landlord of one of the district’s accounting technicians. A more complete review of the district’s books showed that the accounting technician had misappropriated more than $65,000 over the course of about two years.

The fraud was possible due to lax accounting practices by the district. Under the district’s old practices, an accountant could enter an invoice, approve it and print out a check. No other person needed to be involved in the process. This allowed the technician to write checks on her behalf without any immediate oversight. Once the embezzlement was discovered the accountant was arrested. She also resigned from the district. The former district accountant was booked into the Ventura County Jail and bail was set at $10,000.

Embezzlement Attorney

Workplace crimes can be particularly devastating, especially those involving a financial fraud. People often engage in financial fraud out of need. Being arrested and losing employment is hard enough, but prosecutions often take a long time, which only increases the financial pressures on an individual. Hiring an aggressive embezzlement attorney should be your first step, if you’re ever arrested for a workplace crime such as embezzlement.

Often, victims are more interested in restitution than they are in prosecution. An experienced criminal defense attorney can use this to his client’s advantage. If you’re arrested for, or being investigated for financial crimes like embezzlement, don’t wait!

Contact Robert Helfend or call toll-free at (800) 834-6434, (805) 273-5611, (310) 456-3317 or (818) 591-2809 for an immediate consultation on your Ventura County embezzlement/search and seizure case.
Photo Credit: cucchiaio, via Flickr.com