Matthew J Theft Law Blog

In California the law recognizes two distinct types of theft classifications, petty theft and grand theft.  As a Los Angeles Petty Theft Defense Attorney, I am frequently asked the distinction between the two and whether if the theft is from a person is it always grand theft.  First, the main difference between the two is petty is a misdemeanor and grand theft is a felony.  The threshold inquiry is the ... Read More

California law defines Petty Theft as the taking of personal property of another valued at less than $400.  Shoplifting is the same as petty theft as long as the intent exists to steal.  As a Beverly Hills Criminal Defense Attorney I am often asked what if the value is inflated such as items that are over priced due to the location of the staore such as what you might expect to find on Rodeo Drive in Beve... Read More

The crime of shoplifting falls within a category of offenses known as moral turpitude crimes.  These crimes involve acts of dishonesty and are treated very harshly by US immigration authorities when evaluating a citizenship application.  As a Torrance Shoplifting Defense Attorney, I have handled many cases wherein the client was facing the threat of deportation due to a potential shoplifting arrest.  Usually, the feder... Read More

The answer to this commonly asked question is no.  The law that regulates the crime of shoplifting in the state of california requires only that an item be taken with the intent to permanently deprive the store owner of his property.  This means that a person can be arrested inside a store as long as the required intent can be shown.  This is commonly done by using circumstantial evidence to prove the intent such as placing the item in a purse or secreting the property on the p... Read More

California law makes it a crime to take an item of any value with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of said property.  The applicable law governing theft, both shoplifting and petty theft.  The good news is a petty theft or shoplifting lawyer can be a saving grace when someone in arrested for a crime of theft in California.  There is no difference between the offense of shoplifti... Read More