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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
6 thru 10 of 66 comments
On 10/23/08
?????? from GA said:
Just don't do it. I got arrested for it today and damn do I regret it. Trust me on this.
On 10/14/08
Will from IL said:
i was charged with theft a Class A Misdemeanor, Violation 720 ILCS 5/16 - 1 (a) (1) (A), what is the fine for this?
On 09/16/08
Erica from CA said:
hey so i got caught for stealing a credit card and probally spending about 300 dollars, they charged me with 2 misdamenors and i and i am just wondering what the charges could be, this is my first offense and im not trying to fight anything, so if anyone could answer this that would be great.
On 08/04/08
eric from AZ said:
I was recently cited for stealing from the place I work at for stealing money in gift cards and helping people steal stuff from the store. They got a written statement from me and the cops wrote me a citation for theft and shoplifting. About six months ago I stole from dillairds and got fined 300 dollars and put on 36 months of unsupervised probation. The total value of the things I stole valued over time to about 1500 dollars. Is this going to be a felony on my record??? Will it ever come off?? what can I do??? I have a court date later this month and am very scared!
On 07/19/08
DM from MA said:
A friend of mine from college was recently charged with credit card theft, credit card fraud over $250 as well as credit card fraud under $250. He was also charged with forgery and utter false writing. What happened was he stole someone's credit card and went to a department store, bought lots of clothes and got something to eat. When he was caught, he returned the clothes. What type of a punishment will he get for this? He has never been in any trouble before.
6 thru 10 of 66 comments



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