Shoplifting Lawyer Rochester Michigan

Retain a Rochester Michigan Lawyer that Specializes in the Defense of Shoplifting Charges

Being arrested or receiving a ticket for a shoplifting accusation (also known as retail theft or shoplifting) does not in any way make you a bad person. In fact, shoplifting is a regularly prosecuted offense by both Oakland County and city of Rochester, but it is often based only upon an single incident due to a momentary lapse in otherwise good judgment. However, just because shoplifting accusations are commonly heard in Court (for Rochester Michigan shoplifting allegations, Court is held at the 52/3 District Court at 700 Barclay Circle in Rochester Hills 48307), it does not mean that there are not serious consequences or that it will not affect your life in a bad way, because any criminal record for shoplifting can have a long lasting impact. The Judge’s sentence for a Rochester Michigan based shoplifting conviction may lead to the following: the loss of your freedom (incarceration); 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 shoplifting charge in Michigan, you need a respected and exceptional criminal defense attorney who will aggressively fight for the best result.

There are several different alleged actions in Rochester Michigan that all can result in 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 criminal shoplifting offenses that are commonly prosecuted in the State of Michigan, including:

First Degree Retail Fraud is a felony charge that carries up to a 5 year maximum prison sentence or more, that is prosecuted when the merchandise involved is at least $1000 (one thousand dollars) but less than $1000, or if the merchandise involved is under $1000 (one thousand dollars) and the person has a prior theft conviction [the Judge, however, has the ability 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 [the Judge, however, has the ability to impose no incarceration]. The offense of Organized Retail Theft occurs when the alleged intent of the Defendant is to commit a retail fraud and to resell the stolen merchandise to another person or business; in essence the allegation is that the Defendant has turned shoplifting into a 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, however, has the ability 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) [the Judge, however, has the ability to impose no incarceration).

Removal of a Theft Detection Device is a misdemeanor charges that carries up to a 1 year maximum county jail sentence under Michigan law [the Judge, as stated previously, has the ability to impose no incarceration).

Hire a Top Rated Shoplifting Defense Lawyer in Oakland County to Properly and Aggressively Defend You

Many merchants located in Rochester Michigan have implemented well thought out loss prevention related procedures with the goal of reducing shoplifting losses and insurance costs, avoiding potential litigation, and deterring overall store theft. It is not uncommon for merchants located in Rochester to hire and train asset protection personnel and use sophisticated shoplifting prevention equipment (sensors, closed circuit television, etc.) to combat the costs and liabilities associated with shoplifting. Even with the most up to date shoplifting prevention equipment and the many hours of employee training, mistakes are still made and persons are still sometimes falsely arrested due to errors in judgment (false identification, false interpretation of a situation, etc.), cultural issues, and procedural errors.

If you retain an experienced shoplifting defense lawyer for your Rochester Michigan case, he or she 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 can either go to trial trial in front of a Judge or jury and fight for a great outcome, or accept a plea or plea bargain and try and persuade the Judge to be lenient with the sentence imposed. Resolving your Rochester Michigan shoplifting 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).

Your next decision should be to hire a zealous, locally based, shoplifting defense attorney to help you obtain the best possible result for your circumstances. As stated previously, a shoplifting conviction will likely cause you many lifelong problems, including making it extremely difficult to find a good job or a great career, because many employers do not want to risk hiring someone convicted of theft. Retain the leading attorney for shoplifting cases in Rochester Michigan and throughout Oakland County – attorney Daniel Hilf – to properly and fully defend you in Court. He is a widely respected and impassioned criminal defense lawyer with over 20 years of experience inside and outside of courtrooms helping clients fight for great results for shoplifting accusations. Choose an exceptional and experienced criminal defense lawyer that has the confidence and ability to handle your shoplifting case the right way from start to finish!

If you have been accused of a shoplifting or theft offense in Rochester Michigan, it’s time to make an impactful, intelligent, and wise decision to contact us right away for legal representation.