Theft is a term that is used pretty widely in the criminal court system. Basically, it refers to anyone who has taken someone’s property or possessions without their permission. Unfortunately, theft is such a broad term that it can be used to describe more than one crime and more than one degree of convictions. For a lot of obvious reasons, you should not waste any time hiring a Criminal Lawyer in Philadelphia if you’ve been accused of theft. Your Criminal Lawyer in Philadelphia would be able to help make sense of exactly what you are being charged with and what your rights are.
Your Criminal Lawyer in Philadelphia is going to tell you that in order for you to be guilty of theft you would have had to physical seize someone else’s property or at least attempted to seize it without their permission. For example, Bob walked into an electronic store and opens up two flash drive packages and sticks the flash drives down in his pockets. When he leaves the store, he takes the flash drive with him. Bob would be charged with theft in this situation. Technically, he could be charged with shoplifting as well. A Criminal Lawyer in Philadelphia is going to tell you that a person in this situation would usually be charged with grand theft.
When you get charged with theft you are going to get charged with petty theft or grand theft. Petty theft acquires its name from the fact that what a person steals is considered to be petty or of little value. Grand theft is reserved for people who steal more expensive items. Every state has a monetary value that determines whether something is petty theft or grand theft. Any criminal defense lawyer would be able to tell you what the rules and regulations are for what is considered petty theft and what is considered grand theft. If what you stole was cutting it pretty close to the line, your lawyer could try telling the court that you would agree to a plea bargain if they would drop the charge down from grand theft to petty theft.
