Having to go to Court for an Macomb County Michigan shoplifting charge (also known as retail theft or retail fraud) does not make you a bad person. In fact, shoplifting is a regularly prosecuted offense in Macomb County by State and local city prosecutors, but it is often only based upon a single isolated incident from a momentary lapse in good judgment. However, just because shoplifting accusations are regularly prosecuted in Macomb County Courts, 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 shoplifting conviction may include: the loss of your freedom (being incarcerated); probation with strict probationary 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 courtroom for a shoplifting charge, you need top notch legal representation who will fight to protect you and your way of life.
There are several different manners (legal theories) 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 shoplifting offenses prosecuted in Macomb County Michigan, including:
First Degree Retail Fraud is a felony charge that carries up to a five 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 (it is important to know that there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose).
Organized Retail Theft is felony charge that carries up to a five year maximum prison sentence that is also subject to applicable habitual offender sentencing provisions (it is important to know that there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose). The charge is brought forward 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 to generate revenue.
Second Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a one 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 (it is important to know that there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose).
Third Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a ninety three 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) (it is important to know that there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose).
Removal of a Theft Detection Device is a misdemeanor charges that carries up to a one year 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 retailers always want shoplifting cases prosecuted because they have implemented loss prevention related procedures that seek to reduce overall retail fraud losses, reduce insurance costs, and to deter in store theft. It is not uncommon for retailers in Macomb County to hire and train asset protection personnel and to use theft detection devices with up to date technology to combat the costs and liabilities associated with shoplifting. Even with 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 attorney Daniel Hilf for your Macomb County shoplifting 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 make a choice to either fight your case at trial, 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 shoplifting based conviction through negotiations.
Make the wise decision to hire top tier defense attorney Daniel Hilf to help you in Macomb County to obtain the best possible result for your circumstances. Again, a retail fraud conviction will likely cause you problems well into the future, including making it extremely difficult to find a decent job or to establish a desired career, because many employers do not want to risk hiring someone convicted of shoplifting. Retain top rated Macomb County shoplifting 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 shoplifting and other theft accusations.
If you have been accused of shoplifting anywhere in Macomb County, it’s time to make an impactful decision regarding your legal representation by contacting us right away.
Shoplifting defense in Macomb County Michigan includes (but is not limited to) individuals from the following communities:
The cities such as: East Pointe, Fraser, Grosse Pointe Shores, Memphis, Mt. Clemens, New Baltimore, Richmond, Roseville, St. Clair Shores, Sterling Heights, Utica, and Warren;
Villages such as: Armada, New Haven, and Romeo;
Townships such as: Armada, Bruce, Chesterfield, Clinton, Harrison, Lenox, Macomb, Ray, Richmond, Shelby, and Washington;
Communities such as: 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.
Shoplifting is prosecuted in the following Macomb County 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 Saint 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 Mount Clemens 48043).