It starts with borrowing a little money with the intent to pay
it back. When the borrower can’t pay it back, more money is
borrowed, and so on and so on. In the real world of
embezzlement, the perpetrators rarely fit the stereotypical
image of someone capable of concocting and carrying out fraud
schemes. Rather, they are almost always someone above suspicion.
“Many people who embezzle money have no previous criminal
record,” said Dr. Paul Sullivan, clinical psychologist at
Psychological Services in Petoskey. “Someone may win big at the
casino and then lose everything, or a person or a family member
may have a horrific health problem requiring extensive medical
care. People are more likely to embezzle under these
circumstances.” Embezzlement is defined in most states as theft
or larceny of assets (money or property) by a person in a
position of trust or responsibility over those assets.
Embezzlement typically occurs in employment and corporate
settings and may be as minor as a store clerk pocketing a few
bucks