Shoplifting Laws In VA
If you are charged under Virginia shoplifting laws, contact an attorney as soon as possible to help you with your case. The penalty for shoplifting can be quite harsh if you’re convicted, so it’s important to get an experienced Virginia burglary and burglary attorney caught right away. Penalties for convictions for shoplifting or other theft can be very severe and you could get in a lot of trouble. If a person is charged with the first offense of shoplifting and it is less than $500, in most jurisdictions the person will receive no jail time, and in some jurisdictions the person will, but it certainly won’t come close to jail time Year.
Even the first charge of theft/shoplifting is a felony if the stolen item is worth more than $200. Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Code 18.2-96 deals with petty shoplifting where the defendant can be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor based on the value of the item stolen. The crime is a Class 1 crime under Virginia Code 18.2-96 and applies if the stolen items are worth less than $200.
The crime of shoplifting falls under various legal sections of Virginia laws depending on the value of the alleged stolen property. Shoplifting is a crime against property and is prosecuted in the same way as a charge of theft in Virginia. Virginia does not have a separate statute specifically regulating retail theft, so shoplifting falls under the section dealing with theft and receiving stolen property. Virginia theft laws cover other situations beyond the typical shoplifting scenario, so you may still be charged for other types of misconduct.
Theft laws in Virginia are much stricter than in many other states, and the criminal charges for theft are even more severe. Theft is a serious crime under Virginia law, and the penalties for it can be unusually severe. Shoplifting laws in Virginia make aggravated theft a crime and carry a prison sentence of one to 20 years. Because the cover-up is a form of shoplifting, the penalty for it depends on the value of the items seized; therefore, he can carry charges of aggravated theft or petty theft.
Shoplifting or concealing goods under Virginia law is a criminal offense punishable by both grand theft and petty theft. Shoplifting is divided into the same two categories of crime and the offense of theft, with the same penalties based on the value of the stolen goods. Shoplifting can be a felony or a felony depending on whether the alleged theft is considered grand theft (more than $200 and a felony) or petty theft (less than $200 and a misdemeanor).
If you are charged with a felony or shoplifting, you may be sentenced to prison. While shoplifting may seem like a relatively minor offence, depending on the amount of property stolen, the defendant could face anything from a small fine to jail time.
While you may be charged with shoplifting due to the dollar amount of the item, it may be possible to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor. A charge of $201 shoplifting is certainly easier to reduce to a misdemeanor than a case in which you are accused of shoplifting $5,000 worth of merchandise.
Section 18.2-103 of the Virginia Code separates a felony from a charge of wrongful shoplifting based on the value of the items concerned, with shoplifting items worth $1,000 or more a felony and stealing items less than $1 will be a charge. in an offence. The second charge of theft in Virginia is punishable by 30 days to 12 months in prison, and the third charge of shoplifting or theft is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison, regardless of the value of the items stolen. Code of Virginia SS 18.2-104). Shoplifting or Concealment, Shoplifting may be charged with Major Theft/Concealing a Crime if the value of the item was in excess of $1,000, or as a misdemeanor if the value was less than $1,000 under Virginia law. 18.2-103.
In the state of Virginia, a Fairfax, Virginia shoplifting attorney may attempt to defend charges of petty or grand shoplifting under Virginia Codes SS 18.2-95 and SS 18.2-96, respectively. Virginia criminal defense attorneys handle all shoplifting cases for people living in Fairfax and Northern Virginia. A Virginia criminal defense attorney is prepared to legally represent you in court if you are accused of shoplifting in Fairfax and the Northern Virginia region.
When someone is accused of shoplifting, they must quickly hire a Richmond shoplifting lawyer to help in their defense. Because there is such a discrepancy and how the law is interpreted in Virginia on a shoplifting charge, a person convicted of shoplifting must have a lawyer who is familiar with the jurisdiction in which they are charged.
Some of Virginia’s top criminal defense attorneys have experience negotiating the terms of a theft charge and making it a misdemeanor with community service and other conditions, or being fired outright. Even without a good actual defense, The Law Offices of SRIS P.C law firm can often get a plea bargain that reduces the charge to a misdemeanor of shoplifting with little or no jail time. One possible defense strategy that our attorneys will use when possible is to challenge the government’s case on the merits, arguing that the defendant is not guilty of shoplifting or that the prosecution cannot prove that the real market value of the stolen item actually exceeds 1 US dollar. -00, so the charge should be petty theft instead (18.2-96). The most common type of petty theft is simple shoplifting, although other types of criminal charges may be filed in some cases. Shoplifting is a common crime in the Commonwealth of Virginia that can be charged with a criminal or misdemeanor offense.