Virginia shoplifting penalties are legally treated the same as a petit larceny offense. How harshly someone’s case will be treated depends on the jurisdiction the accused is charged. However, an experienced shoplifting attorney knows how critical it can be to begin building a defense right away in an attempt to avoid conviction.
If the value of the object in question is less than $500, the associated Fairfax shoplifting penalties are up to a $2,500 fine and up to 12 months in jail. If the taking is $500 or more, the offense could be charged as a grand larceny.
Grand larceny and shoplifting penalties typically have a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in jail. There could be a substantially larger fine and a substantially larger amount of restitution that the person would have to pay back.
The potential consequences of being charged with a misdemeanor shoplifting offense are loss of one’s job, the person will be known in the community, and the person would have to go through the court process, which is expensive and time-consuming.
After a person is convicted of a shoplifting offense, there are some jobs that a person is not eligible for. If a person has a theft conviction, they cannot be a nurse and probably will not be able to pass their character examination or a professional bar association. An attorney can try to help those facing Fairfax shoplifting penalties fight for their rights to help them avoid related life consequences.
The state bars for most states will not allow a person to be admitted even if they pass the bar exam if a person has a larceny conviction, a petit larceny conviction, or a felony larceny conviction. There are certain states in which the person cannot become a lawyer if they have a larceny conviction. It depends on what the professional association is for the person’s particular area of employment.
Shoplifting will be considered a felony when being prosecuted. If it is the person’s third shoplifting charge or third qualifying theft charge, it will be considered a felony offense. A prosecutor must prove that someone took or concealed goods of some store or business, altered a price tag, or switched containers for business purposes in an attempt to get a different price. An individual can also be convicted if they are helping somebody else do that.
Every lawyer has a different way of preparing for a case. Some prepare for a case by first reaching out to loss prevention officers and the business to try to get some video footage for that case. Video footage usually shows what the law enforcement officer remembers. Attorneys can also try to get witness statements from any people that were there and any receipts from the accused. They can also speak to loss prevention officers in an effort to decide what their testimony would be before getting to trial. If you need help avoiding Fairfax shoplifting penalties, contact an attorney as soon as possible.