RETAIL FRAUD

BE AWARE! RETAIL FRAUD TAKES MANY FORMS

• Taking an item from a store is the most commonly known form of theft.
• It is also a crime to alter prices on goods.
• Attempting to return stolen property is also Retail Fraud.

Penalties will increase as the value of the property alleged to be stolen increases. You may be accused of any of these types of Retail Fraud without ever knowing that what you are doing can be seen as illegal. For example, someone may give a gift with no receipt, while you return the property to the store as its rightful possessor. Another instance where false charges may arise is the all too common accident. Ordinary, hard working people with children, juggling work and family, can find themselves accused of a crime because an item is mistakenly left in the shopping basket, or because a child saw an item that was too good to pass up. There are hundreds of other reasons a person might be falsely accused of retail fraud.

DON'T LET A JUDGE OR PROSECUTOR CONVINCE YOU THAT IT'S IN YOUR BEST INTEREST TO ENTER A PLEA BECAUSE OF A MISUNDERSTANDING! MISTAKES DO NOT MAKE YOU A CRIMINAL! ;

RETAIL FRAUD (1ST DEGREE)

RETAIL FRAUD (2ND AND 3RD DEGREE)

Far too many defendants feel the pressure to just "end the case" by entering a plea of Guilty or No Contest. They feel it was fair, since they sometimes walk away paying a fine and even avoiding any kind of probation. Remember there are massive consequences to having a theft conviction on your record:

Theft itself is a charge that has even more potential than Retail Fraud to be the result of a misunderstanding. People could make allegations because of their own bias or because their out to get someone. The law does not state that the prosecutor or police must have the evidence against you. In fact, you can be arrested just by having someone point their finger at you.

REMEMBER, DO NOT TALK TO COPS WHO SAY THEY ARE JUST INVESTIGATING. THEY WILL TRY TO BUILD PROBABLE CAUSE TO ARREST YOU. WHY HELP THEM GET YOU INTO HANDCUFFS?

In fact, people have been arrested with nothing more than allegations. Once you are arrested, the court will not want to hear your story. While keeping your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself is admirable, you become another number and the only issue before the court is the bond amount and setting your next court date. If this has already happened to you or a loved one, time is of the essence to address to get the accused out of jail and back to work, family, and life.

LARCENY

LARCENY FROM A MOTOR VEHICLE

LARCENY FROM THE PERSON

THEFT OF A FIREARM

LARCENY FROM A VACANT DWELLING

LARCENY BY CONVERSION

LARCENY BY FALSE PERSONATION

THEFT OF MOTOR VEHICLE FUEL

You can be arrested just because someone says you had the intent to steal an item or funds. That means you can be arrested without anything but an accusation as to your own mindset. In other words, the legislature has provided that cops are permitted to try to read your mind, or to have other witnesses assume what your intent was.

This is a fallacy. The problem with that thinking is that we rarely hear about the person whose case should have never been filed. Sure, we hear about the major cases involving murder and rape convictions, but there are also countless numbers of people whose lives are affected by false allegations of theft. Just think of your own mindset at different phases of your life. When we are kids, we have the idea that a person who is handcuffed on TV must have done something bad. Sadly, many people do not grow out of that misconception, no matter how many stories of injustice they are exposed to.

MAKE NO MISTAKE. THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM MAY NEVER GROW OUT OF THE OLD IDEA THAT YOU MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG. DOCKETS ARE FULL AND JUDGES EITHER DO NOT TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW EACH CASE, OR DO NOT HAVE THE TIME. EITHER WAY, IT'S YOUR LIFE AND LIBERTY AT STAKE

Embezzlement is often associated with high profile cases and complex white collar crimes. However, it is just another allegation of theft, with different elements for each accusation. For example, you can be charged with embezzlement after an elderly family member gives you a gift. All it takes is an angry relative or family friend to make allegations that you took advantage of the elderly.

What about your employer? Can you trust him in bad times. If an employer is facing difficult financial times or finds themselves in trouble with the authorities, can you trust that they wouldn't use you as a scapegoat to claim that you were embezzling their funds? It doesn't take much, just an allegation.

These cases are not common to many attorneys, and require an attorney who has the ability to understand what the prosecutor must prove. Daniel Ambrose will assure that you are not railroaded by what looks like a good plea bargain. Know your rights by hiring an attorney who knows this area of the law.

EMBEZZLEMENT BY AGENT OR EMPLOYEE

EMBEZZLEMENT OF VULNERABLE ADULT

EMBEZZLEMENT BY PUBLIC OFFICER

EMBEZZLEMENT BY ADMINISTRATOR OR GUARDIAN

IF YOU ARE CHARGED WITH Embezzlement by Agent, DO NOT DISCUSS THE CASE WITH YOUR EMPLOYER OR PRINCIPAL! EVEN IF YOU TRUST THAT PERSON, PROSECUTORS WILL TRY TO USE ANY STATEMENTS YOU MAKE AS ADMISSIONS. WITNESSES CAN BE COERCED INTO TALKING FOR A MULTITUDE OF REASONS. DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE A SCAPEGOAT FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU HAD NO CONTROL OVER.

If you are accused of lying about your financial condition to certain entities, you can be criminally charged. This might involve the most minor detail of your situation, or even a mistake on your part about your finances. How many times have you filled out a form for a loan and read every detail? Not many people do. This is where a misunderstanding about what was asked of you can become a big problem. It is important that you have an attorney who knows the stress and aggravation that comes from the stigma of this type of charge. Daniel Ambrose knows that people make mistakes.

FALSE PRETENSES DEFINED

FALSE STATEMENTS ABOUT FINANCIAL CONDITION

THEFT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FALSE PROPERTY VALUATION

FALSELY REPRESENTING ONESELF AS BLIND