Articles Posted in Theft

Science and technology play an increasingly important role in our society. Over recent decades, advancements in these areas have been incorporated into the Michigan criminal justice system, with the advent of DNA evidence and other new scientific evidence. While, in theory, reliance on new types of evidence can help the fair administration of justice, too often, these new developments are used solely to obtain convictions, rather than to ensure a fair process for those facing serious crimes. A recent example of the fallibility of new types of evidence is discussed in a New York Times article. The article details the...

If you are arrested for shoplifting, it is important to learn more about the criminal charges you are facing and to seek help from a Michigan retail fraud defense lawyer as soon as you can. We often assist individuals who are facing shoplifting charges, and we want to walk you through some of the most important steps to take after being arrested in Michigan. Understand the Charges You are Facing If you are caught shoplifting in Michigan, you will likely be facing retail fraud charges (MCL 750.356c). Depending upon the value of the item you allegedly stole or attempted to...

Interviewer: What’s going to happen to someone’s life; what can a theft charge prevent someone from doing? Paul Tafelski: One of the most important things that people have to remember with these criminal convictions is that whether they’re misdemeanors or felonies, they go into the computer and circulate around the world and follow you more than they ever did in the past. Any kind of conviction is something to think about and what I’ve seen is that theft convictions are often more troublesome for people than convictions for things such as drunk driving.  The reason is that when people go...

Interviewer: What’s the difference between robbery vs. burglary? Paul Tafelski: The difference is robbery involves an element of force and an element of threat; whereas burglary can be more- sneaking around and doing stuff “in the dark” so to speak. The Penalties for Robbery are Harsher as It Involves an Element of Violence or Threatened Violence Interviewer: Which one has harsher penalties? Paul Tafelski: Typically robbery is going to be more harshly punished because it’s a crime that involves sort of an assault in nature, along with a theft aspect. It’s kind of a double whammy in the criminal justice...

Interviewer: When they refer to theft of lost property, lost property, what do they mean first of all by that just to analyze the words because some of it doesn’t make sense to me? Paul Tafelski: That gets a lot more tricky but, for example, it might be a situation where somebody lost their wallet and it has all their identification in it. It’s easy for whoever picks it up to see whose wallet it is, who it belongs to and everything else.  Then, if you took all the money or used the credit card, you still would be stealing...

A new law designed to crack down on organized retail crime in Michigan has taken effect. The measure makes it a felony to wrongfully take retail merchandise with the intent to resell, distribute or transfer it to another retailer or seller. Penalties include up to five years in prison. The bill also covers use of the mail or any electronic medium such as the Internet in such an enterprise. Organized retail crime is responsible for a large and growing share of the estimated $15–30 billion in annual retail theft nationwide. “We’re not talking about conventional shoplifters, we’re talking about sophisticated rings of...