Man pleads guilty to embezzlement charges

One man was recently accused of committing embezzlement in Louisiana. He was charged with embezzling almost a million dollars from a bankruptcy estate for a business that operated over a couple dozen Popeyes restaurants. The man pleaded guilty to his embezzlement charges.

The businessman served as the chief financial officer at a Popeyes franchise. However, this company ended up being placed in involuntary bankruptcy back in 2012. Authorities said the man used his job position to instruct managers of the restaurants to redirect money from the cash registers for his own benefit.

According to federal prosecutors, the man purchased a race car valued at $225,000 with some of the money he had stolen. He also renovated his house. According to the court documents, the amount the 45-year-old man embezzled totaled approximately $966,000.

When a person is charged with embezzlement, he or she has the right to vigorously contest the charges in court with the hopes of being found not guilty. At trial, prosecutors must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt before a conviction can be secured. Instead of going to trial, however, the defendant may choose to take a plea deal, if offered, which may offer the advantage of leading to lighter charges and thus a lighter sentence than what would be imposed following a guilty finding at trial. Defense counsel will pursue the option that is in the best interest of the accused while at the same time making sure that the person’s rights are upheld during the criminal proceedings in Louisiana.

Source: therepublic.com, “A Florida businessman has pleaded guilty to charges he embezzled nearly $1 million from the bankruptcy estate for a company that operated a chain of Popeyes fast-food restaurants in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida”, Feb. 4, 2016