What is embezzlement?

What is embezzlement?

• A. The theft of physical property from a store
• B. Fraudulent appropriation of money or goods entrusted to someone
• C. A form of corporate theft
• D. A misdemeanor theft of minor value items

Answer: (B)

Embezzlement is defined specifically as the fraudulent appropriation of money or goods that have been entrusted to an individual's care. This means that the person who commits embezzlement has legal access to the assets but then illegally takes ownership or misuses those assets for personal gain. This definition emphasizes the trust involved in the relationship where one party is given control over another's assets, making embezzlement distinct from general theft. Other options outline situations commonly associated with theft, but they do not capture the nuance of embezzlement as it pertains to the violation of trust and the greater financial implications of the act. For example, merely stealing physical property from a store or committing a given act of petty theft does not involve the aspect of trust that defines embezzlement.

Embezzlement is defined specifically as the fraudulent appropriation of money or goods that have been entrusted to an individual's care. This means that the person who commits embezzlement has legal access to the assets but then illegally takes ownership or misuses those assets for personal gain. This definition emphasizes the trust involved in the relationship where one party is given control over another's assets, making embezzlement distinct from general theft.

Other options outline situations commonly associated with theft, but they do not capture the nuance of embezzlement as it pertains to the violation of trust and the greater financial implications of the act. For example, merely stealing physical property from a store or committing a given act of petty theft does not involve the aspect of trust that defines embezzlement.