Stole from Work

My question involves criminal law for the state of: CA

Basically what has happened is, i was caught stealing product from my work. it was more than a 1 time thing, it happened at least 5-6 times. when i was confronted by the company's LP officer for my district i started spilling my guts and i am sure i told him about more than he already knew, just because i was scared and nervous and thought the more i confess to the easier they will go on me. after all was said and done they added up everything i told them and came up with an estimate of $1,500. at the time i was still so scared and in a state of disbelief that i went along with it. He asked me to write out a letter to his supervisors stating everything i did and he told me the amount to put in the letter. he then gave me the opportunity to go home and return everything i had taken since i had taken it for my own use and not for profit. so i did that and when i brought everything back and they added up the $ amount in the computer, it came out to around $300 well short of the $1,500 they had come up with. but when the police were called they charged me with grand theft (the $1500) and embezzlement.

Basically all i am afraid of is that since i wrote and signed a letter saying i took the $1,500 amount, thats all they will need to find me guilty of that amount. i know pleading not guilty puts the burden of proof back on them. and i know they don't have the proof of the $1,500 since i never took that much. i am just not sure if that letter is going to be the deciding factor. and i realize i cant say what i wrote isn't true, because that would make that purgery. i cannot afford a lawyer and the public defenders office told me i cant talk to my public defender until the day of my trail.

does anyone have any advice, or know what my chances of it being reduced to the $300 i actualy took is?

Your facing felony charges! You need to talk to a Lawyer right away!

You told them what you took, and they used your list to come up with the total. If you are saying that they used the wrong values, that should be easy enough to document. If you're saying that you volunteered that you stole a bunch of stuff that, after-the-fact, you realized you hadn't stolen, it's going to be tough to convince people that you're now telling the truth.

As panther10758 suggests, you need to get help from a criminal defense lawyer.

does it make any difference if they told me the letter was for their superiors and not my admittance to the police?

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Quoting troymancer

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does it make any difference if they told me the letter was for their superiors and not my admittance to the police?

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Nope. Trust me, your facing felony charges.

just an update.

i went to court this morning and found out my case has not yet been filed. so for now i am ok. i can finally sleep. but they have a year to file the case.

thank you guys for all your information! il be sure to update again when there are new developments

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Quoting troymancer

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i went to court this morning and found out my case has not yet been filed. so for now i am ok. i can finally sleep. but they have a year to file the case.

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I hope you have taken panther and aaron's suggestion and hired an attorney. Honestly, you're not OK - it's only a matter of time.

It usually takes about two weeks after an arrest before a case is actually filed. In the meantime, it sits on top of the prosecutor's desk with a bunch of other cases. There is a strong possibility (if this is your first offence) that by the time the case is filed it will be dropped down to a misdemeanor. You would be prudent to get an attorney before the case is filed so that your attorney can comminicate with the prosecutor's office.

For once panther has given advice which is solid.

some more news.

so i got a letter a few weeks ago from the police department saying after investigating the incident they had dropped the case due to lack of evidence. then a few days later i get another letter from my works lawyers saying i must pay $300 or they will press charges. i was just wondering now if the case has been dropped by the DA or whoever can they still do anything like this? or is it more of a scare tactic trying to get money?

Here's my take on this: please correct me if I'm wrong.

The police investigated but determined they didn't have enough evidence to warrant a trip to the DA. However, if your companies attorney has evidence (an inventory of what you took and your statement that you did take it by your own admission), and you don't pay, I would guess that they WILL file suit against you in court and present their evidence accordingly.

IMHO: I'd pay the civil demand ($300) and call it a day. If they have the evidence, and by your previous post they do. You can't take a chance and call their bluff...ante up or call.