Legal Question in Criminal Law in Virginia

Statute of Limitations

What crimes do the ''statute of limitations'' apply to? I know there is no limit on the time for murder & other capital crimes, but what about ''white collar'' crimes? If someone embezzled money from their employer, & left town, how long would the police actually look for them? And if they were caught, let's say, 10 years later, could they still be charged with that crime?


Asked on 3/25/04, 2:31 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael Stone Law Offices of Michael B. Stone Toll Free 1-855-USE-MIKE

Re: Statute of Limitations

All crimes, except homicides and embezzlements from a government entity, have statutes of limitations that vary according to the crime and the state or juridisdiction the crime was committed in. (If you go to Washington and take the FBI tour there is a display of a once-notorious armored car robbery that was solved only because one of the perpetrators turned in the others one day before the statute expired).

The more time that passes, the harder it can be to successfully prosecute a crime, since witnesses forget, become hard to locate, and die, and evidence becomes stale.

The amount of effort the authorities will expend in attempting to solve and/or prosecute any particular crime depends on the amount of resources available, other priorities of the enforcement agency, and myriad other factors that are solely within the realms of speculation and conjecture.

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Answered on 3/25/04, 2:46 pm


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