You are a practitioner and have identified a suspect in embezzlement in the firm of your client. The client does not want to prosecute. What should you do? Unless the circumstances involve federal funds, or a grant with specific reporting requirements, you are not obligated to report the allegations to the authorities. You must remember that you have a contractual (and ethical) relationship with the client and you may find yourself in a lawsuit if you reveal any information to third parties. This approach may not appear to make sense to many of you because the purpose of the investigation is to catch and prosecute a criminal. In practice however; many organizations do not want the publicity associated with a prosecution. Also, many District Attorneys establish minimum dollar thresholds before they will prosecute a case.
What is the best thing to do in this situation?