Former Charleston Homeless Ministry Official Charged with Embezzlement

A former official with the homeless ministry in Charleston, SC has been arrested on embezzlement charges.

Carol Libby, 56, from Mount Pleasant, has been charged with embezzling more than $440,000 from taking money from the Crisis Ministry between 2006 and 2013. She has been officially charged with five counts of wire fraud.

Libby was fired last summer after she was arrested by Charleston police and charged with breach of trust, a white collar charge that led to the embezzlement investigation. Prior to her embezzlement arrest, Libby had worked for the Crisis Ministry for 10 years.

Originally, officials thought she had embezzled around $96,000.

Executive Director Stacey Denaux said that the ministry has recovered much of the embezzled money. Donors have given $150,000, and insurance has paid $50,000. Libby repaid $52,000 so far.

Embezzlement Charges in South Carolina

Embezzlement refers to the theft of money or property by an individual who was trusted and responsible for handling the money or property of another party, a white-collar crime that commonly occurs in corporate settings. Embezzlement cases are rarely clear-cut, as the accused are the ones expected to have handled the assets that were embezzled. Simple human error or oversights could lead to wrongful embezzlement.

For an individual to be convicted of embezzlement, the prosecution must prove:

1.     The defendant manipulated resources illegally

2.     The victim entrusted the defendant with these resources that were allegedly embezzled

3.     The defendant intended to deprive the owner of these resources

4.     The defendant acquired access to these resources through his/her employment.

Embezzlement charges carry severe penalties. The defendant risks ruining his reputation and loss of employment even if they are later found not guilty of the crime. Punishments for those convicted of embezzlement can include fines, imprisonment, probation, payment of compensation and loss of legal rights among other potential punishments.

The Strom Law Firm Defends Against Emblezzment Charges

If you have received white collar criminal charges, you could lose your job, and your reputation. White collar criminal charges, including embezzlement of public funds, are serious crimes with serious consequences. The criminal defense attorneys at Strom Law Firm, L.L.C. include a former United States Attorney, a former public defender, a former Assistant Attorney General and Richland County Assistant Solicitor, as well as a tax lawyer familiar with IRS criminal investigations.

The firm has developed a particular skill not only in litigating criminal cases, but also in resolving them discreetly, and often at the very early stages of the investigation.  Pete Strom has had extensive experience in major criminal cases and investigations involving issues of securities fraud, derivatives trading, antitrust and price-fixing, mail and wire fraud, RICO, tax fraud, customer fraud, and other business violations.

The Strom Law Firm aggressively defends individuals on all criminal charges in all State and Federal Courts in South Carolina as well as the Federal Courts in Georgia. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so do not hesitate to contact us. 803.252.4800.