Legal Question in Criminal Law in Massachusetts
Working security alone in a building in Boston, MA. I have been accused of stealing $223, from a lock box. They say they have me on camera going into the tenants' office to get the key, then going to the lock box, and that's it there's no view of me taking it. Then they used the phrase "What else could he be doing?" Also, they have changed the amount at first they told my future wife that it was a little over $100, and now it's $223. Also, the story has changed from me doing this several times to four or five times. However, I've no record of ever stealing anything and I never have and I never will I have a family to support. I wouldn't mess this job up because my future wife works there too. My boss is now trying to scare me telling me that I'm going to be put away for a year and that even if I didn't do it to just say I did and pay the amount of $223. What do I do?
4 Answers from Attorneys
You ask "what do I do"? You hire a lawyer to represent you and defend you against these charges. There is no other easy answer to give you, nor is there any other alternative for you that makes sense.
In a court of law a criminal charge must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. "What else would he be doing" would most likely fall short of beyond a reasonable doubt. To be put in jail for a year a jury or a judge would have to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that you took the money. Additionally, incarceration would be unlikely unless you had a criminal record.
That being said it takes a lot less to be fired from your job and you must tread carefully. If you think you are being extorted you may even want to speak with the police or your boss' boss. However, given that you may be charged with a crime yourself you may want to speak with an attorney.
Hire yourself an attorney and fight these accusations. They claim they have you on tape doing something, but they haven't shown you this tape, have they? If they had you on tape doing anything definitively incriminating, they wouldn't need a confession from you. Don't admit to something you didn't do. You are innocent until proven guilty, and the burden to prove you guilty rests entirely on the government. I've seen too many defendants take the easy way out, only to regret to later on when they can't get a job because of the conviction on their record. And if you've never done jail time before, it's unlikely that a judge would give you a year (or any jail time at all) if you are convicted of this crime.
Tell the truth.
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