breach of trust with fraudulent intent
Noun A specific legal term for a type of theft where a person, who was lawfully entrusted with property, wrongfully converts that property for their own use with a dishonest or deceitful purpose. The crime lies in the violation of the trust placed in the person, combined with the intent to defraud.
This term is used primarily in formal legal contexts to describe and charge a specific criminal offense. It emphasizes two key elements: the existence of a trust relationship and the fraudulent intent of the person who breaches that trust.
- The accountant was charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent for embezzling client funds.
- The court found the executor guilty of breach of trust with fraudulent intent for selling estate assets for personal gain.
- His actions, secretly transferring the company's intellectual property, constituted a breach of trust with fraudulent intent.
- The phrase is often used in legal indictments, judgments, and statutes. It is a more precise alternative to general terms like "embezzlement" or "fraud" when the context of a formal trust or fiduciary duty is central to the case.
- Embezzlement (n): The fraudulent appropriation of property by a person to whom it has been entrusted. This is a closely related and more common general term.
- Fraudulent Conversion (n): The illegal use of another's property for one's own purposes after it has been lawfully obtained.
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty (n): A violation of the legal obligation of trust, which may or may not involve fraudulent intent.
- Embezzlement
- Defalcation
- Fraudulent conversion
- Peculation
This is a specialized legal compound noun with a single, precise meaning. It does not have common idiomatic or non-legal uses. The core components can be analyzed: * Breach of trust: Violating a duty of care or responsibility. * With fraudulent intent: Accompanied by a deliberate plan to deceive or cheat.
-
larceny after trust rather than after unlawful taking
