Legal Talk

Employee embezzlement of any kind reeks of moral bankruptcy.  But when that employer is a church, our heads shake with disapproval and our opinions of the perpetrators drop to a whole new level.  Despite the stigma associated with this crime, religious institutions are not immune from this threat and are often victimized by the employees they trust the most. From 2004 to 2007, a local church experienced this first hand when one of its employees and her husband embezzled over $380,000 before moving out of state.     More

From classic employee embezzlement to outright theft and forgery, the number of incidents of dishonest and illegal activity related to checks and other negotiable instruments has increased in recent years in southwest Louisiana.  Generally, the perpetrators of these activities are eventually identified and prosecuted in some fashion.  While these individuals may pay a debt to society through the criminal system, they frequently contribute little or nothing to the civil damages which resulted from their willful acts.  The money acquired from the fraud was usually eaten, drunkor gambled away.  Regardless of the cause, the money simply disappears over a very short time and tangible property worthy of seizure almost never remains.   More