Appellant was convicted of embezzlement and ordered to pay direct victim restitution including $166,751 which represented both the attorneys and private investigator fees incurred by the owner of the victim business, in a civil action to recoup the lost funds. Appellant argued that those fees were not properly part of the restitution order. The appellate court here affirmed the restitution order. The victim had not been able to collect by way of a civil judgment. Both the attorney fees and the private investigator fees constituted economic losses incurred by the victim as a result of appellants conduct and were properly the subject of a restitution order.
Case Summaries