Embezzlement happens when someone in a position of trust steals money or property they manage for someone else. Think bookkeepers, financial managers or trusted employees who quietly move company funds into their own pockets. Such cases in Tennessee fall under the state’s general theft law rather than a separate embezzlement statute, and the dollar amount stolen drives everything that follows.
Tennessee ties penalties to dollar amounts
Tennessee courts sort theft crimes into classes based on value. Theft of property or services valued at $1,000 or less is classified as a Class A misdemeanor in Tennessee. Once the amount climbs past that, the charge becomes a felony, and the classes escalate from there: Class E, D, C, B, and finally Class A for thefts over $250,000. Large-scale embezzlement almost always lands in these higher felony tiers.
Large thefts carry serious prison time
A Class B felony covers theft valued from $60,000 up to (but less than) $250,000, carrying a prison sentence of 8 to 30 years. Theft of $250,000 or more is classified as a Class A felony, punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison. Fines climb too, reaching as high as $50,000.
Courts add consequences beyond prison
Judges typically order restitution, forcing offenders to repay what they stole. A felony conviction also creates a permanent record that surfaces in job, housing and licensing background checks for the rest of a person’s life.
