If you are facing a misdemeanor or felony shoplifting (retail fraud) charge in Troy Michigan, you need an outstanding local criminal defense attorney who will fight for you. No matter if your accusation is from Oakland Mall, Somerset Mall, a national chain retailer (such as Kohls, Walmart, Target, or the Apple Store), or a local Troy business, help is available immediately. When it comes to a shoplifting charge, get Hilf & Hilf, PLC on your side for aggressive legal representation. Hilf & Hilf, PLC attorney Daniel Hilf appears at the 52/4 District Court in Troy, the 6th Circuit Court in Pontiac on a frequent basis, and is known throughout Oakland county for aggressively defending shoplifting charges.
Facing a Troy Michigan shoplifting charge does not make you a bad person. In fact, shoplifting is a commonly and aggressively prosecuted offense by the Troy City Attorney and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, but it is often based only upon an single incident due to a temporary lapse in normally good judgment. However, just because shoplifting accusations are commonly heard in courtrooms in Troy and throughout Oakland County it does not mean that there are not serious repercussions or that it will not affect your life in a negative way, because any criminal conviction record for shoplifting can have a long lasting impact on your life. A shoplifting conviction that stems from a Troy Michigan arrest may include any or all of the following: the loss of your freedom (potential incarceration); probation with strict supervisory conditions; loss of employment; professional licensing issues (for lawyers, nurses, stock brokers, and other licensed professionals); loss of educational opportunities; steep fines and costs; immigration problems (for persons that are not United States citizens); and personal embarrassment. If you have court for any type of retail theft allegation, you need an experienced and local shoplifting defense lawyer who is 100% on your side.
There are several different legal theories behind a retail fraud charge in Michigan: when store merchandise is stolen or an attempt to steal store merchandise is made; the price tag of the merchandise is intentionally changed to a lower price in order to defraud the store; or merchandise is fraudulently exchanged in order to obtain money, store credit, or other merchandise. Criminal shoplifting offenses that are commonly prosecuted in Troy, Michigan include the following charges:
First Degree Retail Fraud is a felony charge that carries up to a 5 year maximum prison sentence 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 [however, the maximum possible penalty does not prevent the Judge from using his or her discretion to impose no incarceration].
Organized Retail Theft is felony charge that carries up to a 5 year maximum prison sentence that is also subject to applicable habitual offender sentencing provisions [however, the maximum possible penalty does not prevent the Judge from using his or her discretion to impose no incarceration]. The alleged intent for this offense is that the Defendant planned to resell the stolen merchandise he or she shoplifts to another person or business in order to generate income.
Second Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a 1 year maximum county jail sentence 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 [however, the maximum possible penalty does not prevent the Judge from using his or her discretion to impose no incarceration].
Third Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a 93 day maximum county jail sentence that is prosecuted under either State law or local ordinance, when the merchandise involved in the offense is less than $200 (two hundred dollars) [however, the maximum possible penalty does not prevent the Judge from using his or her discretion to impose no incarceration].
Removal of a Theft Detection Device is a misdemeanor charges that carries up to a 365 day maximum county jail sentence under State law [however, the maximum possible penalty does not prevent the Judge from using his or her discretion to impose no incarceration].
Both nation wide and local merchants in Troy Michigan have implemented asset prevention related procedures with the goal of reducing shoplifting losses and related costs, avoiding contested litigation, and deterring in store theft. Stores frequently employ a team of loss prevention personnel and install sophisticated shoplifting detection equipment (such as merchandise sensors and closed circuit television) to attempt to combat the costs and liabilities associated with retail fraud. Even with the use of the best theft detection technology and asset protection personnel, mistakes are still made and persons are still sometimes falsely arrested due to errors in judgment (such as false identification and false interpretation of a situation), cultural issues, and procedural errors.
If you retain lawyer Daniel Hilf to help you with your shoplifting allegation, he will immediately try to obtain all the available discovery materials to fully and properly defend you, 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. It is your Constitutionally protected right to have trial to fight the accusation, or to choose to accept a plea or plea bargain and try and persuade the Judge to have mercy. It is your choice whether or not you want to see if a plea bargain (an agreement with the prosecution to dismiss or reduce the charge(s) against you) is available for your misdemeanor or felony shoplifting accusation and/or to try and obtain a favorable sentence agreement (an agreement with the Judge and/or prosecutor to impose a specific sentence, such as avoiding or limiting any term of confinement).
When arrested for shoplifting, your main priority is to hire an experienced local retail fraud defense attorney to help you obtain the best possible result for your circumstances. As stated earlier, a retail fraud conviction will likely cause you significant problems in addition to the criminal penalties, including making it extremely hard to find a job or career, because many companies do not want to risk hiring someone convicted of any theft crime. Hire an experienced local retail defense lawyer for your Troy case – attorney Daniel Hilf – to help you. He is a highly rated and well respected attorney with over twenty years of experience inside and outside of courtrooms helping individuals like yourself achieve favorable results, with an office located approximately one half mile from the 52/4 District Court (Hilf & Hilf, PLC is located at 3155 W Big Beaver Rd #123, Troy, MI 48084).
If you have been ticketed or otherwise accused of shoplifting in Troy Michigan, now is the time to make an impactful decision to hire the right legal representation for your case. Contact Hilf & Hilf, PLC to hire an impassioned lawyer who will fight for you.