A person who is given access to someone else’s property or money for the purposes of managing, monitoring, and/or using the assets for the owner’s best interests, but then intentionally misappropriates those assets for personal gain, is committing embezzlement. Embezzling generally takes place when an employee with authority steals money or assets, and it usually occurs in a corporate setting. Generally, the longer the embezzlement goes on, the stiffer the penalties are for the individual charged with the crime.

In July of 2015 a woman named Kathryn Sue Simmerman in Norton Shores, MI who managed a Federal Credit Union, was charged with embezzling almost $2 million from the credit union’s cash vault over more than 13 years. She was hired in 2006, and admitted the embezzlement started about 5 years into her employment. Documents from the case describe Simmerman stealing money from the bank vault and taking it home in her purse. She then manipulated documents to show these funds were deposited into the credit union’s correspondent bank. Simmerman is facing jail time, restitution, and up to 8 years supervised release after prison.

Many times not only is the person who is stealing charged, but their family members could also be charged for spending the money, which could put a spouse, or even children at risk. The longer someone is involved in the process of embezzlement the harder it is to hide it, stop it, and protect their family from the devastation.

When the act of embezzling is not immediately detected, the longer it can continue. The criminal involved in the crime begins to think he or she is invincible and won’t get caught, but usually the opposite is true. The more money involved, the steeper the fines and longer the sentence.

Call an Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney | Paul Morrison Law Firm

If you find yourself in a situation of embezzlement, and would like to get out, we can help. Involving an experienced attorney in the process can help you control the damage you have caused. Attorney Paul Morrison has extensive experience in representing white collar crime. His experience can give you information on how to proceed and protect not only yourself, but your family as well from the worst possible outcome of your decisions. Call (913) 780-6666 today or send an e-mail to schedule a free consultation. We are located in Olathe and also serve people from the Johnson County area.

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Of course, we all enjoy a good comedy movie. It’s funny to watch on the big screen an exaggerated story about someone else’s misfortune. This is true for the 2013 movie Identity Theft starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy. McCarthy and Bateman share the name “Sandy Patterson.”The real Sandy Patterson’s identity has been stolen by a woman in Florida living it up in his name. His job is on the line so he decided to track her down and prove that his credit issues are not his doing. What he finds is an overweight, middle-aged, woman who tries to run for it every chance she gets. On top of that she is being chased by bounty hunters. Unlike real life, they bond in the process and become friends.

While this sounds like a funny story with a happy ending, unfortunately for people in the real world, when their identity is stolen, it’s more like a nightmare than a comedy. When someone steals your identity suddenly your credit score you worked so hard to protect can plummet, unpaid bills start piling up, creditors begin calling, and the walls of your world can start closing in. It’s difficult when you’re the victim and the burden of proof is your responsibility. It can seem like an uphill battle when communicating with banks, credit card companies, utility companies, and unkind creditors.

What You Can Do To Protect Your Identity

• Protect sensitive information – use electronic statements and direct deposit. Shred anything with personal information in it, and never give out your Social Security number.
• Be aware of technology – keep your antivirus software up to date, don’t respond to fishy emails from people you don’t know, and never give personal information out including passwords, and be careful using unsecured websites when using WIFI.
• Watch your bank accounts and credit cards for anything that looks like fraud, sign up for alerts when available.
• Report anything you see quickly, file a police report, and inform your banks and creditors immediately.

Contact A Legal Representative

If you find yourself in an identity theft situation and are in need of an attorney, Paul Morrison has the experience you need to help you. Call (913) 780-6666 or send an e-mail to schedule a free consultation. We are located in Olathe and serve people from the Johnson County area.

The post Identity Theft; It’s Only Funny in Movies appeared first on Paul Morrison Law.

Business fraud cases usually go beyond a general breach of contract situation; they involve a more intentional dishonesty on behalf of a business. Generally a business could provide intentional false statements or omission of facts which another may rely upon to make a decision to their harm. This can happen in a number of ways but will always be determined by one side intentionally being dishonest. Business fraud often happens in transactions revolving around real estate transactions, a purchase and sale of a business, and many times contract disputes.

The Rippling Effect of Business Fraud Conspiracy

An example of this type of fraud happened in 2011, when owner Lee Farkas of one of the largest privately held mortgage companies was convicted of spearheading a nearly $3 billion mortgage fraud scheme. An article from the Washington Post laid out the following facts of the case: Farkas was the owner and chairman of Taylor, Bean and Whitaker, a top 10 wholesale mortgage lending firm. It was determined that from 2002 to 2009 Farkas and his co-conspirators used Taylor, Bean, and Whitaker as a middleman between lenders and investors. The firm borrowed money from Colonial Bank to buy FHA home loans, then pooled the loans into securities and sold them to investors, and then used Fannie Mae to guarantee those securities. “When Taylor Bean began having cash flow problems, the government said, Farkas and co-conspirators covered the shortfalls with money from Colonial Bank. They misappropriated billions of dollars to cover Taylor Bean’s operating losses, authorities said. The case against Farkas is one of the largest to emerge from the crisis that brought the nation’s financial system to the brink of collapse.”

Contact a Kansas Business Fraud Defense Attorney | Morrison Law Firm

Business fraud isn’t just stories made up in the movies. If you find yourself targeted in an investigation, don’t wait to be indicted before you contact an attorney. Call our team of experienced defense attorneys at the Morrison Law Firm today. Prosecutors will have their teams of investigators looking for evidence from the moment they begin looking into your business. Arm yourself with a defense from the start. Call us today at 913-780-6666, or contact us online for a free consultation.

The post Conspiracies are Not Just Movie Plots, They are a Type of Business Fraud appeared first on Paul Morrison Law.

Willie has seen some little flags here and there with the head of his company’s accounting department. From time to time he’d notice his own personal petty cash was just a few dollars short of its documented amount. Another time he noticed he had been billed, and paid for, the same transaction with a vendor twice. Additionally, he noted when a former vendor, a friend of his, called and asked about the unexpected check that ended up in their mail. The vendor reminded Willie they hadn’t done work for them in quite some time and were definitely not late on any payments.

These errors were some time apart, so Willie didn’t take too much notice at first. It was a bit annoying, but he chalked it up to his rapidly growing business.  Initially, they weren’t red flags to him because in his mind, these “little yellow flags” weren’t major issues, just unsettling when he considered them.

However, some time later when he mentioned these items to a former business associate, the response prompted further investigation into the practices of his accounting department. With the right attorney, asking the right questions and reviewing the right documents, Willie was able to find and understand the criminal acts that his accounting exec was committing. Furthermore, he realized that had his company continued to head down their given path, he himself would be criminally liable for many actions taken.

The flags he had once seen as yellow, led to red flags and could have eventually led to jail time. What started out as a simple mistake eventually turned out to be simply white collar crimes.

Let Us Keep You from Jail Time

Finding accounting irregularities can be a small indication that your accountant is currently or likely to consider committing fraud. Hiring the right Fraud Defense Attorney can help prevent a lawsuit or jail time for you. You want an attorney who know what to look for and how to help ensure you aren’t punished for your accountant’s criminal pursuits.

Don’t waste another moment. Contact Morrison Law Firm, LLC (913) 780-6666 to schedule a free consultation. We’ll confidently walk you through your options and help you investigate any area of your business you find suspicion in.

The post Double Checking Your Accountant May Keep You Out Of Jail appeared first on Paul Morrison Law.

It is important to understand the difference between a gift and a bribe. Bribery is a white collar crime and is considered a felony in most states. Many people find themselves confused about the difference in a gift verses a bribe.

Let’s begin by defining what exactly a bribe is. A bribe is generally intended to change the outcome of a decision. It is understood that in the giving/accepting of the gift you are expected to be swayed. A decision could be to go with a specific vender, to hire a certain person, to decide on new law, or any number of critical decisions depending on your position held.

For example: A wealthy politician’s son is charged with a crime that would embarrass his family, such as drugs. The politician approaches the Judge knowing his son recently graduated from college and is looking for an opportunity to get his foot in the door into politics. The politician offers his son a prestigious position if the Judge will sweep the charges for his son under the rug. This would be considered a bribe, and is a crime.

A gift, however, has no strings attached. A gift is given simply to show appreciation for time or patronage. Gifts have zero expectations from the one receiving them. Gifts are generally not over indulgent or out of the normal for the industry standards.

For example: A company is interviewing a perspective new employee and they meet for dinner at a nice restaurant to interview. The company does the interview over dinner and picks up the tab. There is no guarantee of a job, or any expectation of the one interviewing to accept the job because dinner was bought. This could be considered just a gift and a way to introduce themselves to a prospective employee.

If you find yourself in a situation where your ethics are being called into question, you need to find an experienced defense attorney who specializes in white collar crime. Many times these cases can be resolved before it comes to an indictment. As we stated before, this can be considered a felony, so do not take it lightly.

Attorney Paul Morrison and his associates have the experience and expertise defending white collar crime. Don’t leave your defense to chance. Call Morrison Law Firm, LLC at (913) 780-6666 or connect with us online to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.

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