7-5A. White Collar Crime. Helm Instruction Co. in Maumee, Ohio, makes
custom electrical control systems. In September 1998, Helm hired Patrick
Walsh to work as comptroller. Walsh soon developed a close relationship
with Richard Wilhelm, Helm’s president, who granted Walsh’s request to
hire Shari Price as an assistant. Wilhelm was not aware that Walsh and
Price were engaged in a extramarital affair. Over the next five years,
Walsh and Price spent more than $200,000 of Helm’s money on themselves.
Among other things, Walsh drew unauthorized checks on Helm’s accounts to
pay his personal credit cards and issued to Price and himself
unauthorized salary increases, overtime payments, and tuition
reimbursement payments, altering Helm’s records to hide the payments.
After an investigation, Helm officials confronted Walsh. He denied the
affair with Price, claimed that his unauthorized use of Helm’s funds was
an “interest-free loan,” and argued that it was less of a burden on the
company to pay his credit cards than to give him the salary increases
to which he felt he was entitled. Did Walsh commit a crime? If so, what
crime did he commit? Discuss. [State v. Walsh, 113 Ohio App. 3d 1515,
866 N.E.2d 513 (6 Dist. 2007)]
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