Did you borrow money from an ex and now they are trying to claim that you stole from them? Have you paid some of it back? If so, you want to consult with a criminal lawyer to see if you can fight the charges, or have them dropped before the matter gets to court.

Depending on the amount they claimed you stole, you could be facing criminal charges. There is a lot of evidence that will be needed to get the defense going. Bring the following information with you to the consultation so the lawyer can appropriately assess the case.

 Text or Electronic Messages

Do you have text messages where the ex has thanked you for giving them a portion of the money back, or with the two of you making arrangements to transfer funds? Do have messages showing that they weren't interested in getting the money back, or that it was agreed that you borrowed the money and that it wasn't stolen? Sometimes this can be enough evidence to prove that the money wasn't stolen, and to have the criminal charges dropped.

Proof of Pay Back Amounts

Do you have proof that you have paid back partial amounts of the funds? Did your ex accept these funds? If so, show that proof that you took the money out of an ATM or that you wrote a check, and show proof that they accepted it. If you can show your bank statements and they are forced to pull theirs, it may show that the transaction happened. If you didn't document these transactions, it may be hard to prove you started paying back the borrowed money.

Eye Witnesses

Are there others that know the truth, that you borrowed the money when you were dating? If you have witnesses that can express that the money was borrowed, and that it wasn't ever stolen, this is going to help your case a great deal. If the person is a mutual friend or friend that interacts with both of you, they can explain their account of the situation.

You don't want to end up with theft charges on your permanent record because you borrowed money from someone, and then the relationship went bad. Instead, your lawyer can try to work out a deal with your ex, before the issue goes to court and goes in the papers, so you can solve the matter quietly. Contact a business, such as the Mesenbourg & Sarratori Law Offices, for more information.