Shoplifting

If you find yourself in a circumstance where you are falsely accused of shoplifting, never sign a confession in the store. Often, the store will hold you for an extended period of time and tell you that if you sign the statement, you can leave. To repeat, never sign a thing! Although these cases are difficult to defend due to security cameras and witnesses, we offer a free consultation to determine the strength of your case.

Shoplifting consists of intending to take an item from a store that doesn’t belong to you without paying for it. Switching price tags to save money is also shoplifting. Shoplifting can be petty theft or grand theft:

• Petty Theft is the unlawful taking of someone else’s property with the intent to deprive the owner of the property permanently. It is usually charged as a misdemeanor if the property is valued between $50 and $400. Punishment for a first offense can be a fine of up to $400, or imprisonment in jail for up to six months, or both. Petty theft can be charged as a felony on your second offense, which would carry a maximum sentence of 16 months in prison. Many courts use their discretion to charge the second petty theft as a misdemeanor, depending on the value of the stolen property and the time between offenses.

• Grand Theft is the unlawful taking of someone else’s property with the intent to deprive the owner of the property permanently when the value of the item taken is more than $400. Grand Theft can be punishable by up to one year in county jail, or 16 months in state prison.

Shoplifters are vigorously prosecuted in California and defending these cases can be difficult for the inexperienced. Most offenders are caught on surveillance tape or by the store’s staff. In particularly weak cases, the charges can be lowered to trespassing or dropped altogether. A free consultation will allow you to evaluate the strength of the case and determine the best legal strategy. Contact us at (626) 927-9055.

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