Many people in Minneapolis may not have a problem with a company or organization doing their own internal investigations into individuals’ behaviors, but questions may be raised when that information is turned over to police for criminal prosecution.
What may start as an investigation into the possibility of missing money can quickly turn into an accusation of a white-collar crime. But because company officials are not restricted to the evidence rules that limit what police officers can do, individuals’ privacy may be violated.
Sadly, even if employers violate an individual’s privacy to look into allegations of embezzlement or some other kind of white-collar crime, there is nothing that prevents police from using all the evidence collected by an employer. This is true even if the police would have been unable to collect the information themselves. So what does this mean? It means that even when an individual is accused of a crime by a boss or an employer it may be wise to seek the help of a criminal defense attorney.
Two former members of the Teamsters Local 120 of Blaine could potentially face embezzlement charges if the Teamsters choose to turn the information it has collected over to police. The father and son pair were accused of taking money from a Teamsters-owned bar and for allegedly embezzling a finder’s fee in the construction of a new Teamsters union hall.
The information that is collected on the two men is automatically turned over to the federal departments of Justice and Labor, but it is unknown what, if any, action will be taken against the men.
Source: Star Tribune, “Teamsters panel urges penalties for two Local 120 figures,” Mike Hughlett, April 9, 2013
