I live in Canada and I'm under 18 and over the course of 3 years I have stole close to 12 000 dollars from a family friend. It is undiscovered but I feel like I'm dying of guilt and want to admit it and begin paying some back. What could the crown charge me with? And is this considered a felony or something else?

Hi, SoScrewedYorN!

Someone would have to press charges for you to be charged with anything. I don't know what the possible penalty could be, nor what it would be considered since you are under the age of 18. It might depend on any number of factors.

However, since this is something that you're feeling guilty about, my suggestion would be to reveal it to your parents and see what they have to say. It could be that it could be left out of any court system and for you to begin to pay back the money.

However, knowing how you have been stealing the money would be good for people to know here in order to answer you the best.

A hypothetical example: If you have been stealing it from the business of the family friend because of having worked for them and someone else besides the family friend discovers the theft, then that might work into a worse scenario for you.

I'm sure that there will be others who will come along to address your question.

Thanks!

Every couple of weeks I would head over to their house and one time I discovered that the father kept money in his desk. Sometimes I would grab 20 sometimes 120 and the most I've ever taken is 260 at one time. And this continued for 3 years. Is each one a different charge?

Morals aside, I wouldn't confess to it. How close of a family friend is this person? If he's close enough for your parents to work out a payment plan that's one thing, but I wouldn't risk jeopardizing your future over clearing your conscience. Do you really want to restrict your employment opportunities? I would put back the money where I found it and let him question why it's there.

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Originally Posted by Throwback24

Morals aside, I wouldn't confess to it. How close of a family friend is this person? If he's close enough for your parents to work out a payment plan that's one thing, but I wouldn't risk jeopardizing your future over clearing your conscience. Do you really want to restrict your employment opportunities? I would put back the money where I found it and let him question why it's there.

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It would be best to be confessing now while still under the age of 18 to look better in the eyes of the court, if it ever even gets to the court stage. Depending on what one believes, confession is good for one's conscience as well as soul. SoScrewedYorN has already admitted having an extreme feeling of guilt.

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Originally Posted by SoScrewedYorN Every couple of weeks I would head over to their house and one time I discovered that the father kept money in his desk. Sometimes I would grab 20 sometimes 120 and the most I've ever taken is 260 at one time. And this continued for 3 years. Is each one a different charge?

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Thanks for the explanation, SoScrewedYorN! If you confess now, you will look better to your family and also to the family friend. Yes, no one is going to like what you did. There may be some punishment dealt out to you within your family and perhaps in cooperation with the family friend. However, your having a feeling of remorse because of doing what you did will look much better to a judge, if it ever does get to that stage.

If it's eventually found out that you stole the money without confessing and the family friend does decide to press charges, then the repercussions of that are what might mess you up later.

Best not to wait to confess...

I'm sure that there will be others who will come along who will be able to offer even deeper insight into your situation.

Thanks!