A Sunny Isles Beach paralegal was arrested and charged with embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from her Fort Lauderdale law firm, The Miami Herald reports.
Regardless of the charge brought by authorities, every criminal defendant has the right to a fair trial. And that trial includes having access to an aggressive Fort Lauderdale Criminal Defense Lawyer who is able to challenge every aspect of the charges filed by the state.
According to the newspaper, the 53-year-old paralegal faces more than 80 felonies that include grand theft and forging documents. A lawyer in New York, but who isn't licensed to practice law in Florida, the woman allegedly stole money from her firm, including pilfering from a lawyer who was on his deathbed.
The woman's lawyer alleges that the firm, which handles business and property litigation, pressured prosecutors into filing criminal charges as a way to aid in a civil lawsuit the firm has filed against her.
Prosecutors allege the woman transferred more than $82,000 from the firm to pay off three credit card accounts belonging to her husband in 2008 and 2009. She allegedly also stole $56,000 from a lawyer for her and her husband. And the state believes she transferred $31,000 from the lawyer's credit card account to the law firm's account, which was meant to cover up earlier thefts from her employer. At the time, the lawyer was hospitalized with a terminal illness.
In Florida, grand theft can be punished as a first-degree felony, which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, according to Florida Statutes 812.014.
Grand theft is defined as taking the property of another if the property is $100,000 or more, if it's cargo worth $50,000 or more or if a getaway vehicle is used or causes damage to property while committing the crime.
Forgery, under Florida Statutes 831.01, is falsely making, changing or otherwise tampering with a long list of documents defined in the statute. It is punishable as a third-degree felony, which means a possible prison sentence of five years.
Obviously, both of these charges are serious. But they also require proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the state must provide before a judge or jury. An aggressive Fort Lauderdale Criminal Defense Lawyer will fight all aspects of the charges. What must be shown is exactly why the state believes the person was able to transfer the money around and proof that the money was sent to personal accounts against the law.
But in order to even get that far, many aspects of the investigation can be challenged. Police and prosecutors can't just get whatever information they want without following the rules of the court in accessing it. It's possible that broken rules and missed procedures can result in information being suppressed -- or kept out of consideration for the jury. And that can be advantageous for the defense.
If you, a loved one or family member are arrested and charged with a crime in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale or Miami, contact Fort Lauderdale Criminal Defense Lawyers today at 1-866-727-5384 to discuss your rights.
Additional Resources:
South Florida paralegal charged with embezzling from law firm, by David Ovalle, The Miami Herald
