Theft does not sound like a big deal until you consider that it is a type of financial crime. True, the consequences of stealing a candy bar from a convenience store are not the same as those of stealing a car or thousands of dollars of jewelry, but it is always best to avoid getting a criminal record whenever possible; the criminal justice system could stay in your business for a very long time even if you get convicted of a relatively minor offense. Even if the crime of which you are being accused falls under the category of petty theft, it is still important to work with an Essex County theft crimes defense lawyer, such as the lawyers at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall. The Essex County financial crimes defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall have a total of more than 200 years of experience. We are certified criminal trial lawyers who have represented defendants as well as the Essex County prosecutor’s office and various municipal prosecutors’ offices. If you are facing charges for a financial crime or property crime, including but not limited to shoplifting, larceny, receiving stolen property, burglary, or identity theft, contact the Essex County theft crimes defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall.
Theft Attorneys in Essex County
Theft is the transfer of property against the owner’s will. This covers several different offenses which include but are not limited too:
- Theft by Fraud
- Theft by Unlawful Taking
- Theft of Services
- Unemployment fraud
- Carjacking
- Theft of Property
- Burglary
- Robbery
- Theft by Deception
- Bad Checks
- Forgery
- Health Care Claim Frauds
- Insurance Fraud
- Invasion of Privacy
- Money Laundering
- Racketeering
- Credit Card Theft
- Credit Card Fraud
- Identity Theft
- Receiving Stolen Property
- Auto theft
- Computer Theft
- Shoplifting
If you are found guilty of a fourth-degree theft offense of property worth between $200 and $500, you face an 18-month jail term and a $10,000 fine. For a third-degree theft offense conviction for property worth between $500 and $75,000, your punishment is 3 to 5 years in prison and a $15,000 fine. And for a second degree theft offense of more than $75,00 worth of property, you face 5 to 10 years in prison and a $150,000 fine.
Theft Crimes Defense in Essex County, New Jersey
Theft and financial crimes are nonviolent and do not directly endanger the physical safety of the victims, but for people convicted of them, they can be the beginning of a long, unpleasant experience of being closely monitored by the criminal justice system. Your chances of getting the charges dropped are much higher if you have the theft crimes defense lawyer of your choice representing you; your lawyer can persuade the prosecution that the police were not within their rights to arrest you or to search your property, for example. Likewise, the Essex County financial crimes defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall may be able to negotiate a plea bargain or sentencing bargain that would get you a lesser punishment than what the prosecution originally recommended. Even though financial crimes may seem less harmful to society than violent crimes or drug trafficking, courts have sentenced people convicted of financial crimes to prison sentences so long that the defendants spent the rest of their lives behind bars. The best way to avoid a long prison sentence for a theft crime is to work with the Essex County financial crimes defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall.
Essex County Shoplifting Defense Lawyer
Shoplifting is removing merchandise from a store without paying for it. Most of the time, the punishment for it is simply to pay a fine or to perform community service, but you could also get sentenced to probation, which is more burdensome than it sounds. Shoplifting is one of the most common types of criminal charges for defendants below the age of 18. If you get charged with shoplifting or any other offense when you are a minor, you go through the juvenile justice system, which is part of the family court, and you do not get a permanent record of your criminal charges or convictions. You can, however, get sentenced to youth detention. If you are 18 or older at the time of your shoplifting arrest, your case goes to the criminal courts, where, if you are convicted, the judge can sentence you to any punishment that the law allows for your charges, including probation or jail.
Robbery Charges in Newark, New Jersey
In ordinary conversation, people sometimes use the word robbery interchangeably with theft, but in legal terms, robbery is a specific kind of theft, and it is one of the most serious. Robbery is theft where the defendant used physical violence or the threat of physical violence in order to get the victim to surrender their property. Therefore, it is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 and a prison sentence of up to 10 years. If you are facing charges for robbery, you need the help of the Essex County theft crimes defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall.
Essex County Burglary Defense
Burglary is when someone breaks into a residence or place of business and takes money or other items. It is a serious crime punishable by imprisonment, probation, fines, or a combination of those. Many houses and businesses have security cameras monitoring them at all times, and people have a right to install these cameras on the exterior of their property, specifically to prevent burglary. The prosecution can use security camera footage as evidence in the burglary case against you. Your burglary defense lawyer might be able to make the case that the person depicted on the camera footage is not you, or that even if the camera footage does not show you, you did not break in or did not steal anything. (For example, maybe the homeowner asked you to enter and take something from the house, and their spouse only made the burglary accusations after the marriage broke up soon after the time you went to the house.)
In some cases, though, security video camera footage is strong enough evidence in a burglary case that, if you went to trial, a jury would be certain that you committed the burglary. You and your lawyer can decide whether there is reasonable doubt that you committed the burglary, and if there is not, your burglary defense lawyer may help you negotiate a plea deal and perhaps reduce your charges.
Newark Embezzlement Defense Lawyer
Embezzlement is when an employee or officer of a company steals money from the company’s business accounts. It can be as simple as pocketing the cash that customers pay for merchandise instead of putting it into the cash register, or it can be as complex as setting up shell corporations and pretending that they are engaged in legitimate business transactions with the company. Depending on the amount of money stolen, people convicted of embezzlement can face prison sentences of varying lengths. If you are facing criminal charges for embezzlement from your employer, the Essex County financial crimes defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall can help you.
Identity Theft
Have you ever received a concerned text message from your bank after you make a debit card purchase from a store that is not on your usual rotation of grocery stores and gas stations? That is the bank trying to protect you from identity theft. In real life, identity theft is not always eye-catching. Identity theft can be as simple as using customers’ credit card numbers and identifying information to make transactions without their consent. If you have been accused of identity theft, you need an identity theft defense lawyer to ensure your rights are protected.
Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud
Fraud is when you make false statements for your own financial gain. New Jersey law recognizes many different kinds of fraud, most of which are named after the party that suffered financial losses because of the fraud or the type of communication used to make the false statements or the financial transactions resulting from them. Some of these charges include mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax fraud; the latter charge results when someone is accused of defrauding the Internal Revenue Service. The courts sometimes order people convicted of fraud to pay restitution, which means returning the fraudulently obtained money to the victims. If you are convicted of fraud, you can also be sentenced to prison or probation and ordered to pay fines to the court.
Essex County Fraud and Theft Defense Attorneys
Whether you are accused of stealing a pack of gum from a gas station, making false statements on your income tax returns, or any other financial crime, you have the right to representation by a criminal defense lawyer, whether you plan to plead guilty or take your case to trial. It is in your best interest to hire one of the 11 Essex County financial crimes defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall. These Newark criminal defense lawyers have seen every possible kind of criminal case, and they only deal with criminal defense and DWI.
Police and prosecutors might try to tell you all kinds of scary things and try to intimidate you into confessing, but remember that you have the right to remain silent. In most cases, you should talk things over with your financial crimes defense lawyer before you say anything in the presence of law enforcement. Your Essex County financial crimes defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall will be with you at every step of the way. Contact the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall to discuss your financial crimes case.