Stealing From Fraternal Benefit Societies

Anyone with a computer or smartphone can lament to the whole world about their loneliness and speculate that everyone else is as lonely as they are. There is so much raw material on this topic for chatbots to remix that ChatGPT or your custom-made Character AI companion could probably spin a mean social isolation Weltschmerz essay if, with a few keystrokes, you prompted it to do so. Everyone complains about how people disappear down their respective rage bait rabbit holes and no one bothers to empathize with real people, in all their messiness and complexity, anymore, but only a few people bother to do something about it. Some people put their whole selves into making sure that other people don’t feel alone. They send custom-written text messages instead of sharing content on social media, and the oldest ones among them even write letters and greeting cards with pen and paper. It is in this context that benefit societies and similar community organizations continue to flourish. The legal consequences of stealing from organizations where people aim to help their friends do not differ much from those for stealing from corporations that do not pretend to do anything other than seek their own financial gain. If you are facing accusations of embezzling money from a mutual aid society of which you are a member, contact a Pittsburgh theft crimes lawyer.

Does It Count as Theft When You Steal From Yourself?

Taking money or other items of property without the consent of the legal owner counts as theft no matter your relationship to the owner or the property. Charges of embezzlement can apply when you steal money to which your employment granted you access, such as if you are an employee and you steal money from a company bank account from which you are authorized to make transactions, or if you are a trustee of a trust and you make payments to yourself which should go to the beneficiaries instead. These crimes that involve a breach of fiduciary duty may be charged as theft, fraud, or embezzlement, depending on the circumstances. Defenses to such crimes usually involve defendants arguing that they reasonably believed that they had the lawful owner’s permission to make the transaction, or that what the lawful owner claimed was a lie was really a misunderstanding.

In the News

In November 2025, Joseph Osinski pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1 million from the Allegheny County Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), of which he was a longtime member. Unbeknownst to the other members, Osinski opened an additional bank account in the FOP’s name and deposited donation checks in it, instead of in the FOP’s usual bank account, when donors handed the checks directly to him. He received a sentence of nine to 18 months in jail, followed by probation. The court also ordered him to pay restitution to the FOP.

Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases

A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges related to embezzlement from a nonprofit organization.  Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.

Source:

cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/former-mckeesport-police-detective-sentenced-to-jail-time-over-nearly-1-million-in-theft-from-fop-lodge/