What is the penalty for employee theft?

Employee theft is a civil tort and may result in heavy fines, prison or jail time, loss of job or restitution. The theft and punishment may be handled by the employee's company, local law enforcement or federal law enforcement.

Employee theft is not uncommon and the associated losses cost businesses approximately $40 billion each year throughout the United States. Once someone gets a conviction for employee theft, this is permanently a part of their criminal record. This can cause problems when it comes to things like background checks for future employment because this will be visible on a background check.