Title: What Is Shoplifting? How Is Shoplifting Charged? | CriminalDefenseLawyer.com
Headings: Shoplifting Laws
Shoplifting Laws
Shoplifting offenses are fairly common but that doesn't make the consequences any less serious. A person who shoplifts can face both criminal charges and a civil lawsuit.
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What Is Shoplifting?
How Shoplifting Is Charged and Punished
Shoplifting “Sprees” and Retail Theft Rings
Civil Liability for Shoplifting
Criminal vs. Civil Court
Talk to a Lawyer
State-by-State Shoplifting Laws

Content: What Is Shoplifting? Shoplifting is typically defined as the unauthorized removal of merchandise from a store without paying for it. However, successfully leaving the store with unpaid merchandise is not the only way to commit a shoplifting crime. In certain cases, the intent to steal, along with an act in furtherance of that intent, can also result in criminal charges for shoplifting (or retail fraud). An act in furtherance of shoplifting might include: altering a price tag
removing (or even just trying to remove) security tags or other theft-prevention devices
hiding or concealing an item on your person while still in the store (putting merchandise in your pocket or purse), or
removing an item from its packaging and concealing it in or among other merchandise. How Shoplifting Is Charged and Punished
In many states, shoplifting is charged and punished as a theft or larceny offense—usually as petty or misdemeanor theft, if the value of the merchandise stolen falls below a certain threshold (say $200, for example). Other states differentiate between the crimes of shoplifting and general theft for purposes of charging and sentencing, and some treat shoplifting less severely than other theft offenses (such as an infraction rather than a misdemeanor ). For example, in Massachusetts, a first or second offense for shoplifting merchandise valued under $250 carries a fine-only penalty (no jail time). But the lowest-level larceny (theft) offense carries the possibility of up to a year in jail for stealing the same amount. (