Searching for the Best Criminal Defense Attorney for your Rochester Hills Shoplifting Case?
Receiving a ticket or being arrested in Rochester Hills for shoplifting (also known as retail fraud or retail theft) does not make you a bad person. In fact, shoplifting is prosecuted offense by both Rochester Hills and Oakland County prosecutors daily at the 52/3 District Court (700 Barclay Circle, Rochester Hills 48307), but it is often based only upon an single incident due to a momentary lapse in normally good judgment. However, just because shoplifting accusations are commonly prosecuted at the Rochester Hills 52/3 District Court, it does not mean that there are not long term consequences or that it will not affect your life in a bad way, because any criminal conviction for shoplifting will likely have a long term impact. A sentence for a shoplifting conviction may lead to any, all, or a combination of the following: the loss of your freedom (through incarceration and/or restrictions in what you can do); probation with strict conditions; loss of job opportunities; professional licensing issues (for lawyers, accountants, nurses, stock brokers, etc.); loss of educational opportunities; steep fines and costs; immigration complications (for persons that are not United States citizens); and personal embarrassment. If you are faced with a court date for a shoplifting charge, you need to find the best available criminal defense attorney who will aggressively fight for the best result.
There are several different accepted legal theories a prosecutor can use to pursue a shoplifting charge: when store merchandise is stolen or an attempt to steal store merchandise is made by one or more individuals; 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 shoplifting criminal offenses that are commonly prosecuted at the 52/3 District Court in Rochester Hills, including:
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 [the Judge assigned to your case, however, has the option to impose no incarceration and require the completion of probation].
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 [the Judge assigned to your case, however, has the option to impose no incarceration and require the completion of probation]. The offense of Organized Retail Theft occurs when the Defendant’s alleged intent is to commit a retail fraud and to resell the stolen (or attempted stolen) merchandise to another person or business (in essence the Defendant allegedly created a retail theft business).
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 [the Judge assigned to your case, however, has the option to impose no incarceration and require the completion of probation].
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) [the Judge assigned to your case, however, has the option to impose no incarceration and require the completion of probation].
Removal of a Theft Detection Device is a misdemeanor charges that carries up to a 1year maximum county jail sentence under State law [the Judge assigned to your case, however, has the option to impose no incarceration and require the completion of probation].
Many retail establishments in Rochester Hills have implemented strategies and procedures with the goal of reducing retail fraud losses and insurance costs, avoiding contested litigation, and deterring in store theft. Larger retail establishments hire asset protection personnel and use retail theft prevention/surveillance equipment (sensors, closed circuit television, etc.) to combat the costs and liabilities associated with shoplifting. Even with the best and the most up to date retail theft prevention equipment mistakes are still made and persons are still sometimes falsely arrested due to errors in judgment (such as false identification, false interpretation of a situation), cultural issues, and procedural errors.
If you hire shoplifting prosecution defense specialist Daniel Hilf of Hilf & Hilf, PLC, 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. You will ultimately make the decision to go to trial and fight for a great outcome, or to accept a plea or plea bargain and try and persuade the Judge to be merciful and lenient (resolving your retail fraud accusation may include reaching a plea bargain [an agreement with the prosecution to dismiss or reduce the charge(s) against you] or reaching a sentence agreement [an agreement with the Judge and/or prosecutor to impose a specific sentence, such as avoiding or limiting any term of confinement], but these outcomes are not always offered.
An important decision for you is to hire the right shoplifting prosecution criminal defense attorney to help you obtain the best possible result for your circumstances. You will need great legal representation for your criminal case because, as stated earlier, a shoplifting conviction will likely cause you many problems throughout your life, including making it extremely difficult to find a job or career, because many employers do not want to risk hiring someone convicted of theft. Retain a leading 52/3 District Court Rochester Hills criminal defense attorney for shoplifting cases, such as attorney Daniel Hilf, to properly and fully defend you. He is a widely known, impassioned, criminal defense lawyer with over 20 years of experience inside and outside of Metro Detroit courtrooms helping clients fight for great results for shoplifting accusations. Choose an experienced criminal defense lawyer to defend your misdemeanor or felony shoplifting case the right way from start to finish!
If you have been accused of a shoplifting offense in Rochester Hills Michigan, it’s time to make a smart and calculated decision for your future to contact us right away.