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Using Another Employee's Expense Account

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fokjownyc

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York


Hi,

I work in a law firm on the administrative team. I regretfully use a lawyer's expense account on 5 occasions to take a taxi home. It is a stupid mistake. I am now being investigated and the taxi drivers described me as the person that took those rides. Words like fraud have been thrown around and it is getting me very scared. I know what I did was wrong but I have been otherwise an extremely hard working employee.

I am being investigated with suspension with pay. They will look into the building cameras. Should I resign on my own? Are there any legal action that can be taken on me?
 


Proserpina

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York


Hi,

I work in a law firm on the administrative team. I regretfully use a lawyer's expense account on 5 occasions to take a taxi home. It is a stupid mistake. I am now being investigated and the taxi drivers described me as the person that took those rides. Words like fraud have been thrown around and it is getting me very scared. I know what I did was wrong but I have been otherwise an extremely hard working employee.

I am being investigated with suspension with pay. They will look into the building cameras. Should I resign on my own? Are there any legal action that can be taken on me?
Expect to be fired, and you won't be getting UI.
 

quincy

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York


Hi,

I work in a law firm on the administrative team. I regretfully use a lawyer's expense account on 5 occasions to take a taxi home. It is a stupid mistake. I am now being investigated and the taxi drivers described me as the person that took those rides. Words like fraud have been thrown around and it is getting me very scared. I know what I did was wrong but I have been otherwise an extremely hard working employee.

I am being investigated with suspension with pay. They will look into the building cameras. Should I resign on my own? Are there any legal action that can be taken on me?
UI stands for Unemployment Insurance.

As a general rule, it is not smart to incriminate yourself. It is almost always smartest to speak with your own attorney before admitting to committing a crime. That is what I advise that you do.

Restitution will most likely be required and termination of your employment is pretty much assured once the investigation confirms it was you who used the lawyer's expense account without authorization. It is possible that the law firm will push for your prosecution on theft or misappropriation of funds charges, although the firm could decide to handle the theft internally.

It does not matter how hard-working you have been up to this point. The firm can no longer trust you. Knowing that what you were doing was wrong is not going to help you, either. In fact, this can work against you.

You are right to be scared. What you did was incredibly stupid, especially since most law firms will provide taxi expenses for employees who must work late.
 

fokjownyc

Junior Member
UI stands for Unemployment Insurance.

As a general rule, it is not smart to incriminate yourself. It is almost always smartest to speak with your own attorney before admitting to committing a crime. That is what I advise that you do.

Restitution will most likely be required and termination of your employment is pretty much assured once the investigation confirms it was you who used the lawyer's expense account without authorization. It is possible that the law firm will push for your prosecution on theft or misappropriation of funds charges, although the firm could decide to handle the theft internally.

It does not matter how hard-working you have been up to this point. The firm can no longer trust you. Knowing that what you were doing was wrong is not going to help you, either. In fact, this can work against you.

You are right to be scared. What you did was incredibly stupid, especially since most law firms will provide taxi expenses for employees who must work late.
What would prosecution lead to? Jail time?
 

quincy

Senior Member
What would prosecution lead to? Jail time?
Jail time could be a possibility, yes, depending on where the investigation leads and the path the law firm decides to take once the investigation is completed.

The law firm is probably going over all of their accounts right now to see how extensive the theft or fraud might be in their firm. Because you are likely to be identified as the one using the attorney's expense account without authorization for the taxi rides, there could be a connection made between you and any other accounts showing unauthorized withdrawals/charges.

Again, I recommend you seek out assistance from an attorney in your area.

As a note: Using the attorney's account once might conceivably be seen as a stupid mistake. Using it five times is not a mistake.
 

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