During tonight’s premiere of The Bachelor, Demi Burnett had an adorable introduction video until she got a phone call from federal prison. She revealed that her mother was behind bars for embezzlement.
While Demi didn’t say much about her mother, possibly due to her mother’s privacy, we can reveal what embezzlement is. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, embezzlement is the act of secretly taking money that is in your care or that belongs to an organization or charity.
In other words, it’s secretly moving money from a business to a personal account or stealing money from someone, who trusts you to care for it and do right with it. Embezzlement is essentially financial fraud.
The sentence for embezzlement varies depending on how bad it was. However, penalties could include financial fines up to $15,000 and between five and 20 years in prison, according to Criminal Defense Lawyer.
If the embezzlement is less than $950, it’s considered a misdemeanor and could result in jail time of six months or less.
According to Life & Style, Demi’s mother is Tina Jean Jordan. The report reveals that her mother did serve time for embezzlement back in 2007, but she’s actually in prison now for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which is a felony. She was reportedly sentenced to 18 months.
Her mother also has a longer criminal record than just the embezzlement and conspiracy to commit bank fraud convictions. She has also been convicted of probation violations, grand theft and forgery. In 2000, she filed for bankruptcy.
During the episode, Demi did mention that she was living with her father and step-mother and that when she started filming the show, her mother was set to be released. She also gushed about how when she saw her mother again, she would be with Colton.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.