I took money from petty cash at work because rent was due and we were told not to cash our paychecks. I was going to return it when I cashed...

Question

I took money from petty cash at work because rent was due and we were told not to cash our paychecks. I was going to return it when I cashed my check but was fired before I could do so. They say it is grand theft. If I return it this week can they have me arrested?

Answer

You have technically committed a theft. If it's under $950, it's petty theft, but if it's more than that, it's grand theft. Returning the money won't prevent you from being charged with theft but there are ways to avoid being arrested. You don't have any time to waste. You need to consider hiring a criminal lawyer to handle this for you. Returning the money is something that can be used in your favor, but again, you can't do this yourself. You've probably already said too much. Feel free to contact me about all this. Steve Mandell 310 393 0639

Answer

Grand theft is an amount of money in excess of $950.00. (Pen. Code, sect. 487.) This also includes an employee taking an aggregate of $950 from his or her employer for a 12 month period.

Stealing money from the employer was not a good idea. If your employer is not paying you, you should have sought relief from the Labor Commissioner for a failure to pay, and would be entitled to waiting time penalties.