Looking for a Reputable Farmington Hills Shoplifting Defense Lawyer?
Being prosecuted for shoplifting/retail fraud in Farmington Hills does not make you a bad person. In fact, shoplifting is commonly prosecuted in Farmington Hills at the 47th District Court (31605 West 11 Mile Road), but it is often just an isolated incident due to a momentary lapse in good judgment. However, just because shoplifting is common at the 47th District Court does not mean it is not serious or that it will not affect your life in some type of significant manner. Any criminal record for shoplifting or any type of theft can have many potential damaging consequences, including: the loss of freedom; probation with burdensome conditions; loss of employment opportunities; employment licensing issues (if you are licensed professional in the State of Michigan); loss of educational opportunities; steep fines; immigration complications (for persons that are not US citizens); embarrassment, etc. If you’ve been charged with shoplifting in Farmington Hills, you need a reputable criminal defense attorney who will fight to protect your interests and your way of life.
Shoplifting/retail fraud is prosecuted under several different legal theories: when store merchandise is actually stolen; an attempt to steal store merchandise is made; the price tag of the merchandise is misrepresented or changed; or the merchandise is fraudulently exchanged for money or other store merchandise. There are several criminal charges prosecuted for alleged criminal conduct in Farmington Hills, including:
First Degree Retail Fraud is a felony that carries 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 (probation without jail is always an option that your Judge has for this offense, if convicted).
Organized Retail Theft is felony that carries a 5 year maximum prison sentence (probation without jail is always an option that your Judge has for this offense, if convicted). The offense of Organized Retail Fraud occurs when the alleged intent of the person accused is to commit a retail fraud and to resell the stolen merchandise to another person or business – in short, the person made retail theft into an illicit business opportunity.
Second Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor that carries in Farmington Hills a 1 year maximum Oakland 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 (probation without jail is always an option that your Judge has for this offense, if convicted).
Third Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor that carries in Farmington Hills a 93 day maximum Oakland 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) (probation without jail is always an option that your Judge has for this offense, if convicted).
Removal of a Theft Detection Device is a misdemeanor that carries in Farmington Hills a 1 year maximum Oakland County Jail sentence that is prosecuted under State law (probation without jail is always an option that your Judge has for this offense, if convicted).
Many Farmington Hills shoplifting/retail fraud cases involve franchise stores (such as Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Bed, Bath, & Beyond). All franchises have well established storewide procedures that are developed with the goal of reducing retail fraud losses, avoiding contested and costly litigation, and deterring theft. It is not uncommon for a franchise store in Farmington Hills to hire well trained loss prevention personnel and to use theft detection devices with the latest state of the art technology (sensor devices, closed circuit television, multiple cameras, etc.) to combat the costs and liabilities associated with retail theft. Even with the latest and best technology and hours upon hours of intensive employee training, mistakes are still made and persons are still sometimes falsely accused.
An excellent criminal defense attorney defending a shoplifting accusation on your behalf will obtain all the evidence against you 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. At your 47th District Court pretrial date your lawyer can request a trial date in front of a Judge or jury, or seek a resolution of the case on your behalf through a plea. Settling your retail fraud accusation in Farmington Hills may [but does not always] involve a plea bargain (an agreement with the prosecution to dismiss, expunge, or reduce the charge(s) against you) and/or a sentence agreement (an agreement with the Judge to impose a specific sentence, such as avoiding or limiting any confinement). A great decision, when it comes to your shoplifting accusation, is to retain an experienced top rated criminal defense attorney to help you obtain the best possible result for your circumstances. Again, a shoplifting or other theft conviction can have a lifetime of bad consequences, including making it extremely difficult to find a good paying job or to establish a career, because many employers do not want to risk hiring someone with any type of theft history. It is time to make a critical decision, with an eye towards the future, and hire top rated defense attorney Daniel Hilf, who is an impassioned, aggressive lawyer with over 20 years of experience inside and outside of courtrooms helping clients obtain outstanding results for shoplifting accusations.
If you have been accused of shoplifting or any theft offense in Farmington Hills Michigan and have to appear at the 47th District Court, it’s time to make an impactful decision to contact us right away for outstanding legal representation.