Theft is a serious criminal offense
anywhere in the world. Although a common driver for theft is extreme poverty,
compounded by a great personal need, cases exist when people who are otherwise
able to provide for themselves commit the crime anyway despite their favorable
position. Such cases give rise to so-called white-collar crimes, included among
which is the crime
of embezzlement.
Embezzlement is a type of property
theft. While simple theft on its own may already be seen as a serious crime,
embezzlement is even more so because it involves a breach of trust.
Basically, this occurs when a person
who is entrusted with legal access to another’s money or property takes it for
his own gain. It is this violation of the special position of trust afforded to
him by the property owner that adds weight to the charge.
An example of embezzlement might be
when a banker steals the money entrusted to him by his client or the bank that
he works for. Such instances when professionals are involved in the theft make
the biggest portion of embezzlement cases tried.
However, embezzlement can also occur
outside of the professional setting. For example, when a family entrusts the
caring of a relative to a family member, provides him with money or property
intended for this purpose, and the assigned family member steals that money or
property, that scenario can also be considered embezzlement.
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