Many Florida theft offenses are minor criminal matters. They do not involve violence, weapons or especially valuable property. They may involve an impulse crime, as is often the case when a young adult shoplifts from a store.
Many times, allegations of theft lead to misdemeanor charges, which carry fewer penalties and create fewer restrictions on a person’s opportunities than felony convictions. Sometimes, state prosecutors handling property crimes have grounds to pursue felony grand theft charges.
State law creates a clear distinction between misdemeanor theft and felony grand theft. When is the misappropriation of property or capital treated as a felony offense according to state statutes?
When the property is valuable
There is a financial threshold for grand theft allegations. Currently, state law requires that the total value of the misappropriated resources must be $750 or more to justify grand theft charges. The greater the total value of the items stolen, the more significant the penalties imposed may be. There are multiple categories of felony theft based on the value of property, some of which carry substantial criminal consequences.
When the property has special legal protection
The law also recognizes that theft offenses involving certain types of resources tend to be more serious. Defendants accused of stealing a motor vehicle, regardless of its value, are likely to face felony charges. The law also allows for felony prosecution when people steal firearms or emergency medical equipment.
Anyone accused of a serious theft offense, but especially a felony grand theft offense, needs to develop a legal strategy to avoid a conviction. Reviewing a case with a criminal defense attorney can be the first step in strategizing an effective response.
