A client of our firm was charged with theft of under $5000 from her employer. In this case, she was working as a cashier for a convenience store and had worked for the company for two years.
For two months, the employer had noticed that his company’s cash totals were no longer balancing, so he decided to install a video camera to film the cash register. Our client was therefore caught red-handed on tape taking money from the cash register.
She was then charged with theft of under $5000. We demonstrated that our client was struggling with significant financial difficulties at the time of the offence, and that she wasn’t looking to gain, only to pay off her numerous debts. We demonstrated that she wanted to become a travel agent and that a criminal record could seriously jeopardize her career, given that she would have to travel as part of her future duties. Finally, we demonstrated that our client had no prior convictions and that she had been working since the age of 16. The court accepted our arguments and our client received a conditional discharge in which she agreed to make a donation to a charitable organization and pay back her employer.