Georgia Theft Crime Defense Lawyers, Atlanta Theft Attorneys, Marietta Theft Attorneys

Georgia Theft

Theft and Stealing

Theft and related property crimes cover a broad range of criminal violations. These crimes, ordinarily involve stealing or damaging the property of another person. On the scale of offenses, theft and property crimes are typically considered among the least serious. In other words, courts and the prosecutors usually show considerable leniency for persons accused of these crimes; this is not true, however, for repeat offenders. In these cases the prosecutors and the judges may be very harsh in determining what the law considers an appropriate sentence. Plichta, Alavi & Associates, P.C. investigates every aspect of your case to secure the best possible outcome.

1. What are the different types of Theft? (back to top)

Theft (also known as stealing) is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's freely-given consent. As a term, it is used as shorthand for all major crimes against property, encompassing offences such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, mugging, trespassing, shoplifting, intrusion, fraud (theft by deception) and sometimes criminal conversion.

Theft crimes may include any of the following:

Theft by Shoplifting
Theft by Taking
Theft by Receiving
Theft by Conversion
Receiving Stolen Property

2. What can I expect in a theft or property crime case? (back to top)

In these cases, we will meet with our clients to fully discuss the accusation. We will then try to determine whether or not there is an identified loss. ( In other words we calculate the value of the alleged stolen property or the extent of the damage to the property is that is what the Sate accuses you of). If there is a possibility of returning the property we urge you to do so and we will then investigate whether doing so would impact the outcome. After the preliminary analysis we can better determine the charges that may be brought. Sometimes, theft cases may be misdemeanors and are heard in the State Court. In other cases, the value of the loss kicks the violation up to a felony. These cases are heard in the Superior Court of the county where the alleged crime took place.

3. Am I likely to go to jail just for stealing something? (back to top)

It depends. In some counties, theft crimes are taken very seriously. For instance, in Douglas County it is commonplace for the prosecutor to recommend jail time even for a first offender. In most counties, however, a first offense for a property crime would generally not bring about jail time. If this is not your first theft case or your first criminal damage to property case, it is quite likely that a conviction may very well result in jail time.

4. I really didn’t steal anything or do what they said that I did, what can we do? (back to top)

If you really didn’t commit the offense, then we’ll work closely with you to identify any witnesses or evidence that may help to acquit you of the charges. If there are witnesses who can testify that the State's accusation or indictment against you is false, then we may have a good chance to succeed at trial. If the State's case against you is highly circumstantial or based on assumptions that are not necessarily true, we will proceed to identify these persons and assumptions in order to build a strong defense. In this way, we may also be able to convince the prosecutor that, based on the evidence, the case against you is weak and should be dismissed.

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