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Question: What are the penalties for theft?

Answer: Arizona law (Chapter 18 of Title 13 of the Arizona Revised Statutes 13-1801 through 13-1818) provides different penalties for theft, depending on the amount that was stolen and, in some cases, what was taken.The penalties for theft of property, money, or services is as follows:

1. Theft of less than $250.00 is a Class 1 Misdemeanor for which a person can receive a maximum of six months in jail, $2,500.00 fine and probation.

2. Theft of property of a value of $250.00 but less than $1,000.00 is a Class 6 Felony for which a person can be sent to prison for up to two years or put on probation and put in the county jail for up to one year. The maximum fine is $150,000.00.

3. Theft of property of a value of $1,000.00 to $2,000.00 is a Class 5 Felony for which a person can be sent to prison for a maximum of two-and-a-half years or put on probation and sent to the county jail for a maximum of one year. The maximum fine is $150,000.00.

4. Theft of property of a value of $2,000.00 but less than $3,000.00 is a Class 4 Felony for which a person can be sent to prison for a maximum of 3.75 years or put on probation and sent to the county jail for a maximum of one year. The maximum fine is $150,000.00.

5. Theft of property of a value between $3,000.00 and $25,000.00 is a Class 3 Felony for which a person can be sent to prison for a maximum of 8.75 years or put on probation and sent to the county jail for a maximum of one year. The maximum fine is $150,000.00.

6. Theft of property of a value over $25,000.00 is a Class 2 Felony for which a person can be sent to prison for a maximum of 12.5 years or put on probation and sent to the county jail for a maximum of one year. The maximum fine is $150,000.00.

Theft of any gun is a Class 6 Felony, even if the value of the gun was less than $250.00.

Shoplifting is a form of theft in which something is stolen from a store. It is not necessary to actually leave the store in order to be convicted of shoplifting. Shoplifting can occur by switching price tags, transferring goods from one container to another, or hiding the goods, even though the person never actually ever leaves the store.

Like theft, shoplifting property valued at $250.00 or less is a Class 1 Misdemeanor, unless it is a gun, in which case it is treated as a Class 6 Felony. Shoplifting of a value over $250.00 but under $2,500.00 is a Class 6 Felony. Shoplifting of a value over $2,500.00 is a Class 5 Felony.

In addition to the criminal penalties, Arizona law allows the store owner to collect the value of the goods that were stolen, plus $100.00, from the parent of any minor who is caught shoplifting.

*The answer does not include related charges such as robbery, credit card fraud, white collar crimes, consumer fraud or similar crimes which have a theft element to them.


Comments
61 thru 65 of 66 comments
On 09/16/02
bob from CA said:
like they said shop liftin is an addiction, don't get hooked, u may get away with hundreds of dollars of goods, but u pay back atleast double that when u get caught, and trust me u will get caught, i have a court dat on the 30th, i will have t pay atleast $1500 n be on probation 4 a year, all for a $40 pair of shorts, now tell me was it worth it?
On 03/08/02
JoeSmoke from AZ said:
If I had one thing to say about stealing it would be to stay as far as you possibly can away from it!!! Many people do not realize that theft is an addiction, and it starts as soon as you do. That is why we have "clepto's" like me. It is not a question of if you are going to get caught when you steal, but when. Stores are always coming out with things that people don't know about such as secret shoppers that watch you, one way mirrors, hidden cameras, the list goes on and on. When I got caught my second time some guy had a peephole through a door that he was watching me through and there was n
On 12/23/01
stfu from AZ said:
Shoplifting a candy bar is NOT the same as stealing a boat.
On 12/05/01
Fallen Angel from IN said:
i got caught shoplifting with my friend, she had over $60 and i only had about $3.00 worth, we got taken to the d-home and she had to stay the night. its not fun . we've been on house arrest for about a month now.. ahhh
On 11/18/01
Philip Verd from OR said:
I dont think that people should be penalized so harshly for stealing. I think that if they are going to penalize people for stealing, then they need to be consistent and penalize everyone who commits this crime with the same penalty. If you are stealing a candy bar, it is the same crime as stealing a boat.
61 thru 65 of 66 comments



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