Theft and embezzlement are both crimes against property. As a Fresno criminal defense lawyer can explain, they carry different penalties depending on the value of the property stolen. In either case, a criminal suspect has certain rights that must be protected as the case goes forward.

I get this question quite a bit in my practice.

I recently read a piece of news that a nonprofit director was recently charged with $42,000 worth of embezzlement in her role as director of two Yosemite area child centers. While the news is not especially noteworthy, I thought it would be a good chance to explain what exactly embezzlement is and, more specifically, how it differs from theft.