Being arrested or otherwise having to go to Court for an Macomb County Michigan retail fraud charge (also known as retail theft or shoplifting) does not make you a bad person. In fact, retail fraud is a frequently prosecuted offense in Macomb County by State and local city prosecutors, but it is often only based upon an isolated incident from a momentary lapse in judgment. However, just because shoplifting accusations are frequently prosecuted in Macomb County courtrooms, it does not mean that there are not serious consequences or that it will not affect your life in some type of negative manner, because any type of criminal record for a theft offense can have many potential damaging repercussions. The repercussions of an Macomb County retail fraud conviction may include: the loss of your freedom; probation with inconvenient and strict conditions; loss of employment opportunities; professional licensing issues; loss of educational opportunities; steep fines and costs; immigration complications (for persons that are not United States citizens); embarrassment, etc. If you need to go to a Macomb County Court for a retail fraud charge, you need top notch legal representation who will fight to protect you and your way of life.
There are several different ways in which both State and local city prosecutors can allege you committed retail fraud: the most common situation when store merchandise is stolen or an attempt to steal store merchandise is made; the price tag of the merchandise is intentionally misrepresented or changed; or merchandise is fraudulently exchanged for money or other store merchandise. There are a few different felony and misdemeanor retail fraud offenses prosecuted in Macomb County Michigan, including:
First Degree Retail Fraud is a felony charge that carries up to a 5 year maximum prison sentence (it is important to know that there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose) that is prosecuted when the merchandise involved is $1,000 (one thousand dollars) or more, or if the merchandise involved is $200 (two hundred dollars) or more and the person has a prior theft conviction.
Organized Retail Theft is felony charge that carries up to a 5 year maximum prison sentence (it is important to know that there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose), that is also subject to applicable habitual offender sentencing provisions. The charge is sought by Macomb County Prosecutors when the alleged intent of the Defendant is to commit a retail fraud and to resell the stolen merchandise to another person or business.
Second Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a 1 year maximum county jail sentence (it is important to know that there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose), that is prosecuted when the merchandise involved is at least $200 (two hundred dollars) but less than $1000 (one thousand dollars), or if the merchandise involved is under $200 (two hundred dollars) and the person has a prior theft conviction.
Third Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a 93 day maximum county jail sentence (it is important to know that there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose), that is prosecuted under either State law or local ordinance, when the merchandise involved in the offense is less than $200 (two hundred dollars).
Removal of a Theft Detection Device is a misdemeanor charges that carries up to a 365 day maximum county jail sentence under State law (it is important to know that there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose).
Many retail establishments always want retail fraud cases prosecuted because they have implemented loss prevention related procedures that seek to reduce retail fraud losses, reduce insurance costs, and to deter store theft. It is not uncommon for stores in Macomb County to hire asset protection personnel and to use theft detection devices with up to date technology to combat the costs and liabilities associated with retail theft. Even intensive employee training and the use of advanced surveillance technology, mistakes are still made and persons are still sometimes falsely arrested due to errors in judgment (such as the false identification of a suspect, false interpretation of a situation), cultural issues, and procedural errors.
If you retain the services of attorney Daniel Hilf for your Macomb County case, he will obtain all the available discovery materials to fully and properly defend the case, which can include the following: police report(s), loss prevention report(s), witness statement(s), in store video(s), police video(s), photograph(s), statement(s) the police and/or loss prevention claims that you made, etc. Ultimately, you will have to decide to either fight your case at trial in front of a Judge or jury, or to resolve the case through a plea or plea bargain (if a plea bargain is offered). In some instances a Defendant can even avoid having a retail fraud conviction.
Make the wise and prudent decision to hire top tier defense attorney Daniel Hilf to help you obtain the best possible result for your circumstances. Again, a shoplifting conviction will likely cause you problems well into the future, including making it extremely difficult to find a well paying job or to establish a desired career, because many employers do not want to risk hiring someone convicted of stealing. Retain top notch Macomb County retail fraud defense specialist Daniel Hilf to defend you, because he is an impassioned, zealous, and respected criminal defense lawyer with over 20 years of experience inside and outside of courtrooms helping clients obtain great results for retail fraud and other theft accusations.
If you have been accused of any theft crime anywhere in Macomb County, it’s time to make an impactful decision regarding your legal representation by contacting us right away.
The defense of retail fraud in Macomb County Michigan includes (but is not limited to) individuals from the following communities:
The cities of Centerline, East Pointe, Fraser, Grosse Pointe Shores, Memphis, Mt. Clemens, New Baltimore, Richmond, Roseville, St. Clair Shores, Sterling Heights, Utica, Warren;
The villages of Armada, New Haven, Romeo;
The townships of Armada, Bruce, Chesterfield, Clinton, Harrison, Lenox, Macomb, Ray, Richmond, Shelby, Washington;
The unincorporated communities of Anchor Bay Gardens, Anchor Bay Harbor, Anchor Bay Shores, Broad Acres, Cady, Chesterfield, Chesterfield Shores, Clifton Mill, Davis, Lakeside, Lottivue, Macomb, Meade, Milton, Mount Vernon, Point Lakeview, Preston Corners, Ray Center, Saint Clair Haven, Sebille Manor, Shelby, Waldenburg, Washington, Wolcott Mills, and Yates.
Retail Fraud in Macomb County is prosecuted in the following Courts: 37th District Court (8300 Common Road in Warren 48093); 38th District Court (16101 Nine Mile Road in Eastpointe 48021); 39th District Court (29733 Gratiot Avenue in Roseville or 33000 Garfield Road in Fraser 48026); 40th District Court (27701 Jefferson Avenue in St. Clair Shores 48081); 41A District Court (40111 Dodge Park Road in Sterling Heights 48313 or 51660 Van Dyke Avenue in Shelby Township 48316); 41B District Court (22380 Starks Drive in Clinton Township 48036); 42-1st District Court (14713 33 Mile Road in Romeo 48065); 42-2nd District Court (35071 23 Mile Road in New Baltimore 48047); and the 16th Circuit Court (40 North Main Street in Mt. Clemens 48043).