Our Westchester Law Office In Downtown White Plains
Westchester And Manhattan Shoplifting And Petit Larceny Lawyer
We Can Get You A Good Outcome
Our criminal defense attorneys have decades of experience in handling shoplifting and petit larceny, also known as petty larceny cases. Our attorneys know that shoplifting is often the result of an impulsive act, by teenager and young people, who do not think through their actions. Other times, a shoplifting charge can be the result of a simple oversight, such as putting something in your pocket or cart and forgetting to put it on the counter or leaving the store in an emergency, without realizing that you took a product with you. Often the charges involve something that people don’t ordinarily perceive as larceny, such as switching tags on a more expensive item for a lower price item or intentionally failing to swipe merchandise at a self check out. If you were a store employee and intentionally failed to ring up merchandise for a friend you can be charged with petit larceny. Likewise our criminal defense lawyers have handled numerous cases where employees in retail stores were charged with various types of larceny including not ringing up items, doing fake return and other acts. While most people see this as just trying to save a few bucks, the law regards it as a crime. If you have been arrested for petit larceny or grand larceny don’t worry. While jail is a technical possibility for these crimes, it is rarely imposed for first time offenders who are facing larceny charges.
Our New York City and Westchester criminal defense lawyers have handled thousands of shoplifting and petty larceny charges in the Manhattan criminal courts, the Bronx criminal courts and the criminal courts of Westchester including White Plains, Yonkers, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle and Port Chester.
If you are facing a first time petty larceny charge, don’t worry, your life is not over, you are probably not going to jail and our experience shoplifting criminal defense lawyers can probably get you out of this without a criminal conviction. Our attorneys have helped countless clients avoid jail, probation and even a criminal conviction. Our shoplifting attorneys, will take the time to get to know the good things about you, so we can convince the prosecutor that you are really a good person, who made a mistake, not a criminal. Our criminal defense attorneys will appear with you in Court and can bring a good outcome to a bad situation.
A Good Lawyer Makes All The Difference
We Can Bring A Good Outcome To A Bad Situation
Our Westchester criminal defense lawyers and Manhattan criminal defense attorneys have decades of experience in defending shoplifting and petit larceny cases. Our office in downtown White Plains is walking distance to the White Plains City Court and a short drive from most of the town and village Courts in Westchester. Our Manhattan office is located in midtown Manhattan and is walking distance from both Grand Central Station and Penn Station and is accessible form many of the subway lines that run through midtown Manhattan.
Some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions are as follows:
What is Shoplifting
Under New York law, shoplifting is officially known as Petit Larceny, and is a class A misdemeanor. Petit Larceny is the taking of any property with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property. So if you concealed merchandise in a store under your clothes or in a bag, that shows an intent to deprive the owner of the properly and you can be arrested for shoplifting.
Can I Go To Jail For Shoplifting Or Petit Larceny?
Under New York Law, Shoplifting is punishable by up to a year in jail. However, there are other possible sentences such as probation, fines and a conditional discharge, which means no punishment as long as you stay out of trouble for a year, so it is like an honorary probation. While jail is a possibility, with an experienced criminal defense attorney, most first time shoplifters do not go to jail.
What Happens After a Petit Larceny Arrest
If you were arrested, you will be brought to Court for an arraignment, although most people who are arrested for petit larceny are issued desk appearance tickets, which means you have to appear at the Court and enter a plea of either guilty or not guilty. It is beneficial to retain a criminal defense attorney prior to your first Court date. In most criminal courts, the cases with attorneys get called first and if you do not have an attorney or are planning to ask to have an attorney assigned, you may be in Court several hours.
How Many Times Will I HaveTo Go To Court
The average person charged with petit larceny has between two to three Court appearances. The first appearance is an arraignment, and then usually the case is adjourned for a conference to see if our criminal defense attorneys and the prosecutor can come to an agreement on how to resolve the case. In most first time arrests, our criminal defense attorneys are able to negotiate a reduction in the charge to a violation, and a fine.
Will I Have A Criminal Record
Our Manhattan and Westchester criminal defense lawyers who represent people accused of shoplifting are usually able to get first time arrests for petit larceny and shoplifting reduced to non-criminal offenses. Convictions for violations do not result in criminal convictions. Also, if you are eighteen years old or younger, you are automatically entitled to a youthful offender adjudication which does not result in a criminal conviction.
Law Office of Michael H. Joseph, PLLC
The Law Office of Michael H. Joseph, PLLC, has been helping injured victims recover compensation for their injuries for over 25 years. Our attorneys are members of several prestigious organizations, including:
- New York State Trial Lawyers Association
- American Association for Justice
- New York County Bar Association
- Westchester County Bar Association
To request your free initial consultation with our team, call our New York City office at (212) 858-0503 or our White Plains office at (914) 574-8330. You can also request a case review online.
