Five years ago, TikToker Marci (@marcimarie114) was released from prison and is now on parole. She spent a total of 10 years in a Texas prison. She was originally sentenced to 20 years in prison for a theft charge.
She was working for a manufacturing company at the time. The owners of the company were not manufacturers themselves. They bought up manufacturing companies, invested a bunch of money into them, and undersell their competitors, so their competitors would eventually buy them out. That was how they made their profits.
“In order to do this, they needed their books to look like they were turning a profit,” said Marci. “That was my job. I was doing some shady stuff with them, with the books, and I was not in the best financial situation at home.”
“It was not my best moment. But I ended up doing that same thing that I was doing for their books, except so that it would benefit me.”
She started taking money from the company and ended up getting caught. On paper, the amount of theft she committed was $367,000. However, she only touched less than half of that amount.
Since the company she had been working for did not perform a complete audit, Marci didn’t have to pay restitution. The company was able to claim the full amount of $367,000 with their insurance company, so the insurance company paid them out. The company made a significant amount of money from the situation.
“If they had done the full deal for the courts for my restitution and requested restitution, the courts would have been looking at all that,” said Marci.
“That’s why I believe restitution was never even on the table, never even brought up to my attorney. That was never part of any of the offers I got.”
In the comments section, several TikTok users shared their thoughts on Marci’s story and praised her for overcoming her struggles.
“It’s crazy to get 20 years for that, but I love when people like you tell their story and take responsibility for your actions. We all have things we aren’t proud of. It’s a part of the process. But when you take responsibility, it helps you move on and have a better life,” commented one user.
“I learned something in a college accounting class that has always stuck with me. We discussed research suggesting that when employees are experiencing significant stress or hardship at home, people are more susceptible to making poor decisions if the opportunity presents itself. The point was that if proper protocol is set into place by a company, it limits the risk,” shared another.
“My grandma’s sister did something similar, and she was the sweetest, greatest person ever. She was supporting my disabled grandma and her kids, and the temptation was there. Fortunately, they had a defense lawyer in the family, but she still served a few years. I don’t judge,” wrote a third.
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By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
