Fullerton Man Charged with Embezzlement of Newspaper

An employee of the Korea Times was arrested and charged with suspicion of grand theft and embezzlement for allegedly taking more than $140,000 from the newspaper, the Los Angeles Times reports.

An Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney with experience in all areas of criminal law should be consulted in cases as serious as this. Charges of embezzlement in Fullerton and throughout California can carry serious charges and must be handled aggressively to defend against long prison sentences.

According to the newspaper article, the 52-year-old worker, who had worked at the newspaper for more than 20 years, is accused of soliciting advertisements for the paper but asking that checks be made out to him, according to the Garden Grove Police Department.

The man allegedly deposited checks into his personal bank account; the alleged crimes were discovered last year by newspaper officials. They allege the conduct goes back to 2009. Police told the newspaper the man confessed to taking the money, saying he was trying to keep his wife's financially troubled business from failing.

Theft in California can range from simply stealing a packet of gum from a convenience store to robbing someone at gunpoint after breaking into their home. And while the definitions of the crimes vary, so do the possible punishments.

A person convicted of these charges can face equally different penalties. On the low end, a person can simply be sent to jail for a few days and possibly have to pay fines and fees or a short time on probation. On the high end, a person may be faced with years to decades in prison, sometimes followed by supervised release.

According to California Penal Code 186.11, a person who commits two more more related felonies, one of which is related to fraud or embezzlement, can be punished to an additional number of years in prison on top of the sentence for the crimes they are convicted of. This is an enhancement provided under California law.

Grand theft, however, has many definitions and many types of activity can qualify a person to face that charge under California Penal Code 484. A person can face the charge, depending on how much is allegedly stolen, and what types of possessions are taken. It can range from cash to electronics to fruits and vegetables in California.

Regardless of why the charges of are filed, hiring an aggressive defense attorney who can seek to eliminate potentially incriminating evidence and fight against the state's theory of guilt may be the only way to protect a person's rights in court. Don't attempt to fight these very serious charges alone or entrust your case to someone who doesn't have the experience to handle it.

Some lawyers seek the first plea offer that comes around in order to make their job easier. But while sometimes that is the best option, there are always other options in a criminal case. Seek an attorney who will give you sound advice and who will fight for you.

Contact an Orange County criminal defense attorney at (714) 705-6701 as soon as possible if you are charged with a crime. Protecting your rights and setting up an aggressive defense at the beginning stages is critical in defending against criminal charges.

Additional Resources:

Korea Times worker arrested in embezzlement case, by Robert J. Lopez, the Los Angeles Times