Manhattan Shoplifting Lawyers
It is so easy for us to assume that shoplifting is a very minor thing. There are movies in which shoplifting is held up as “just some childish fun”. There are plenty of everyday individuals who have witnessed or even participated in shoplifting. However, it is more serious than we are led to believe. The reality is that shoplifting can have a serious impact on the life that you intend to live.
Imagine being arrested for shoplifting charges and having to face a prosecutor who may or may not have mercy on your situation. That prosecutor could decide that it is a good idea to throw the book at you as it were to try to teach you a lesson about the importance of always obeying the law. They can choose what to charge you with based entirely on the circumstances related to your case.
In the event that the merchandise that you have stolen has a value of less than one-thousand dollars, then you are looking at petit larceny. In Manhattan that is a Class A Misdemeanor. That is the lowest level of misdemeanor that a person may be charged with. Still, it is important to understand that this can still have a big impact on the way in which you operate in life.
When the value of the item or items that you have stolen are worth less than one-hundred dollars, the prosecutor will typically agree to dismiss the case with the stipulation that you keep a clean record for the next six months. If you can do that, then the case will go away.
You always have the option to direct your attorneys to attempt to find a plea deal with the other side no matter what the particular shoplifting charges are that are leveled at you. Your attorney is likely going to pursue this option anyway as they want to keep everything on the table in their pursuit of justice for your case. Keep in mind that they are your biggest advocate and are working towards the best possible outcome for you given your particular situation.
There are some additional charges that can be brought into these types of cases depending upon the circumstances in which the crime is alleged to have occurred. Perhaps you brought things into the crime to aid you with the removal of certain items. That could give you extra charges in the form of vandalism or burglary. You have to keep that in mind while working these types of cases through the court. You just never know what kind of prosecutor you are going to get or what their mood is going to be as it relates to the case before them. You could end up with a lot of charges that you did not expect to have to work through.
In order to avoid any kind of criminal stain on your record at all, it is best to hire a criminal defense attorney to help you with your case. The bottom line is that having such an attorney will help you avoid some of the more serious implications of the decisions that you have made. You have to remember that having a criminal record of any kind can lead to you having to answer for this later in life. You might literally be denied a job or something of that nature simply because you did not make the appropriate decisions with how you have conducted yourself in a single moment.
Your defense attorney can help you get away from the most serious potential implications of being arrested for shoplifting. Perhaps it was a moment that you immediately wished you could take back. If that is the case, then you will definitely want to avoid having to pay the cost of this action. You can get away with as little damage as possible when you actually have to face the legal music as it were.
At the end of the day, you just want the best outcome that you can get for yourself in the present situation. That is why you need to hire an attorney right away when you learn that you are being charged with a shoplifting-related crime. It is not a joke.