Caught Stealing from the Cash Register at Work

Hi, last week on a particular day I took a 100 out the register at work but then my manager did a count during the day and realized we were short and filed a report. 30 min later I managed to put the 100 back in the register. Today Loss prevention interviewed me telling me they saw it on camera and made me write a statement on what I did. I then asked is there going to be any legal consequences because of this? And he replied “most likely not”. Do you think they will put forward legal action? And if they do can they file charges against me although I put it back in the register?

I and nobody else knows i they are going to report the crime to the authorities. They certainly can do so.

It matter not a lick that you put it back.

The crystal ball is out for cleaning, the magic 8 ball is broken, and Madame Zuleika is on vacation. No one has any clue whether they will take any legal action. They can. And no, it doesn't matter a whit that you put it back.

I'm surprised you haven't been terminated and arrested.

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Quoting cbg

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The crystal ball is out for cleaning, the magic 8 ball is broken, and Madame Zuleika is on vacation. No one has any clue whether they will take any legal action. They can. And no, it doesn't matter a whit that you put it back.

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How long do they have to decide to pursue legal action ? And is it likely

The odds are somewhere between 0 and 100%. We have no way of judging where on the scale they will fall.

They have until the statute of limitations expires.

Actually, it does matter that the money was put back. Not in terms of the letter of the law, the theft had occurred at the point the money was taken. But in terms of whether anyone would waste a lot of people's time, particularly a jury, where the harm was corrected so quickly. I'd be pissed as hell if I was asked to sit through such a trial as a juror...

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Quoting asa_jim

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Actually, it does matter that the money was put back. Not in terms of the letter of the law, the theft had occurred at the point the money was taken. But in terms of whether anyone would waste a lot of people's time, particularly a jury, where the harm was corrected so quickly. I'd be pissed as hell if I was asked to sit through such a trial as a juror...

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Sorry but no, you can’t unring this bell. It can be prosecuted successfully. Especially considering the op returned the cash only after realizing the manager was aware of the shortage, it looks like exactly what it was: oh shit I’m going to get caught. Maybe if I put the money back they will think it was their counting error.



Another concern is; has the op had a record of her cash drawer being short? This could be only the beginning of their investigation.

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Quoting Wantagin

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Today Loss prevention interviewed me telling me they saw it on camera and made me write a statement on what I did.

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If they had it on video you probably would have been arrested on the spot instead of being asked to write a confession.

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Quoting RandallCS

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If they had it on video you probably would have been arrested on the spot instead of being asked to write a confession.

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Not necessarily true. People that get caught stealing have often stolen before. The employer often chooses to perform an in house investigation where they may get an employee to admit to other theft. The confession also makes both criminal and civil prosecution easier.