My parents have been victimized. They just discovered that my father’s secretary has embezzeled approximately 30k in the last 6 months. You name it, she’s bought it – from her health insurance to video games at Walmart to buying into credit card scams. She’s lightened them substantially. And, they haven’t even figured out how much money she’s swiped from insurance companies and co-pays.

It’s a strange feeling, having the shoe be on the other foot. I should have warned my parents when they went to talk to the cops, about the questioning, the suspicion that would be cast upon them. How could my father not know this was going on? Well, he’s always counted on my mother to take care of the finances and while she’s been busy with the house in New York, the secretary has been secreting money by the thousands. She’s forged his name on checks. Sometimes these forgeries are good, most of the time they are bad – clearly handwriting of a woman who still thinks she’s writing in ther junior high diary.

Anyway, back to the questioning. They are going to ask my father’s old secretary in New York, did the Dr. ever allow you to write checks, to sign checks? They asked my dad, Dr., did you let her sign these checks, did you give her authority? And, instead of just saying yes or no, my dad needs to explain himself, his history, his character and why it is not in him to do such a thing. The detective had to remind him that the answer was simple, yes or no and that anything else will make it appear as if he’s trying to hide something. Poor dad. If only he were good at hiding things, this probably would never have happened.

So, the woman will lawyer up. Which, is good, right? I mean, she deserves a defense. She deserves to have the evidence challenged. Okay, I’m lying. She doesn’t deserve it in my opinion, not now. This reaction is visceral, I know. It stems from my own pure hatred of what she’s done to my parents. And you know what? My dad would have given her more money if she’d needed it. All she had to do was ask.

Here’s the sad part. This is how I know I’m still a criminal defense attorney at heart. She’s got a 15 year old son. Now she’s sitting in jail and he’s getting ready for Christmas and she probably bought those video games for him for Christmas. It makes me sad – for him and for her. I wonder what makes people do the things they do, why they make these choices that are clearly so harmful not only to themselves, but to those that care and depend on them. I don’t know her, and I don’t know why. But, then again, I’m not her lawyer and her lawyer probably does.