What Is Theft Defense?

You have a right to defend yourself against theft charges. To learn more, call Donahue, Sowa & Magana.

Being accused of a theft crime could mean a number of things. In most situations, the label “theft” is applied to many different offenses, including larceny, embezzlement, false pretenses, extortion, fraudulent conversion or receiving stolen property.

If you’ve been accused of theft, you need an experienced theft defense attorney to help you understand your charges and best defense options. Call Donahue, Sowa & Magana today at (630) 762-1780 or contact us online.

The Different Types of Theft Crimes

In most situations, crimes such as larceny, embezzlement and false pretenses are all considered theft or larceny. In addition, the crimes of petty theft, grand theft, identity theft, credit card theft, receiving stolen property, grand theft auto, car theft, forgery, embezzlement, writing bad checks and shoplifting are all often considered theft.

Robbery is a type of theft that involves a threat to another person, such as stealing someone’s personal property through the use of physical force or fear. In most situations, this is a felony charge.

Burglary is the crime of breaking and entering into a home, business or other building with an attempt to commit a theft or another type of offense. There are several different degrees of burglary, depending on factors like the severity of the crime, whether or not a weapon was used and if the offender caused harm while committing the burglary.

If you accept property that you know has been stolen, you may be accused of receiving stolen property. However, if you have the intent to return stolen items to the rightful owner, you might not be charged with a crime. You cannot be charged for both theft and receiving stolen property for the same crime.
If a public official attempts to illegally collect money from a person under the guise of his or her office, that person has committed extortion. Usually, this involves some sort of threat to the victim demanding some sort of money or property. In most cases, these include threats of property damage, injury or some other type of bodily harm.

If you are able to purchase property by using a check that is either not attached to an active account or to an account with insufficient funds, you may be charged with writing a bad check. While penalties may be less serious than for other types of theft, writing a bad check can be a serious crime, especially if you had the intent to defraud others. If you simply didn’t realize that your account had insufficient funds, you will likely not be charged with a crime if you make the situation right within a few days.

If you’ve been charged with the above crimes, or any type of theft, call one of our theft defense attorneys at (630) 762-1780 or contact us online.