Embezzlement falls under the broader umbrella of white collar crimes. Embezzlement is a type of financial fraud that takes place when one is accused of withholding money to which one has been entrusted, for the purpose of converting that money for their own use.
Under Massachusetts law, embezzlement is a type of larceny or theft. This could occur when an employee is in charge of handling money and dishonestly takes some amount for their own benefit.
Earlier this month, after pleading guilty to 18 counts of forgery, larceny, improper campaign expenditures, false entries in corporate books and publishing false or exaggerated statements. 53-year-old Mark D. Mitchell (a former Saugus Selectmen) was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of probation upon release.
Mark D. Mitchell embezzled nearly $1.3 million from the Boston Center for Adult Education. As the former controller, he wrote checks to himself that totalled almost $900,000 and over $80,000 in checks to the Saugus Wings, an AAU baseball organization which he owned and operated in Saugus, and over $240,000 in additional checks to various unauthorized third-party organizations for his and his AAU team’s benefit.
The DA’s office reported that Mitchell also wrote over $70,000 in checks to a Boston Center for Adult Education instructor, forged her signature and deposited the money into his own account. He also stole funds from his selectman campaigns in Saugus.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of probation upon release. Mitchell has been ordered to pay restitution with the amount which will be determined next month. His two co-defendants 70-year-old Susan Brown and 66-year-old Karen Kalfian are scheduled to be on trial on October 10.
The laws in Boston and Massachusetts surrounding defenses involving embezzlement and financial fraud can be very complicated and specialized. An effective Boston Embezzlement defense attorney with experience in these practice areas will be able to clarify the issues facing a client who is investigated by a state or federal agency for embezzlement. A skilled and dedicated embezzlement lawyer in Boston will identify the elements required to prosecute the case and relentlessly defend their client against all charges.
