Theft - Larceny

Criminal Attorney For Theft Of Services (N.J.S.A. 2C:20-8)

Theft of Services (N.J.S.A. 2C:20-8) in New Jersey is a fairly broad statute that criminalizes a number of acts that involve obtaining services, which can include public utilities, cable television or internet access, or even things like hotel accommodations or rental cars, without an intent to pay the provider for the services.

Many of the acts are charged as disorderly persons offenses, which can carry a six month jail sentence and a fine of up to $1,000, but others are graded as indictable offenses.

Specifically, diverting another’s utility services to your own without authorization, or connecting to another person’s gas, water, or electric meter, is a disorderly persons offense.

Connecting to another person’s cable television, or manufacturing or distributing decoding devices or software, is also a disorderly persons offense.

Theft of Services from a telephone company is a more significant matter, and charges of deceiving a telephone company in order to receive unlawful services is graded as Third Degree Crime, carrying a maximum sentence of five years in jail and a $15,000 fine.

This is true of telecommunications services like Internet access as well, and any conviction will also result in restitution payments and other fees and fines.

If you’ve been charged with Theft of Services at any level in New Jersey, get experienced help right away.

These cases are not always as easy to prove as the prosecution wants you to believe, and any evidence against you is subject to challenge by your own defense team.

Call attorney Matthew Reisig today at 732-625-9661 to speak to an experienced New Jersey Theft of Services defense attorney for free.

Criminal Defense Attorney For Theft By Deception

If you deceive another in order to obtain money or property from them, or to prevent them from accessing information that would alter their judgment of a transaction, you may be charged with Theft by Deception (N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4) in New Jersey.

The statute explicitly describes the following actions as violations:

• Creates or reinforces a false impression, including a false impression about the law, value, or intention related to the transaction
• Creates a false impression that the defendant is collecting on behalf of a charity
• Prevents another from acquiring information that would affect their judgment of the transaction
• Fails to correct a false impression that the defendant previously created, to a person with whom they have a fiduciary relationship.

The statute also explains that Theft by Deception may include other scenarios, giving prosecutors fairly wide berth in asserting the charge.

Theft by Deception in New Jersey is charged according to the value you are alleged to have stolen.

Amounts under $200 are a Disorderly Persons offense, and may carry a sentence of up to 6 months, plus fines of $1,000.

After this amount, your charges will fall into the indictable crimes category, comparable to felonies in other states.

Theft crimes can be charged as high as Second Degree Crimes, which carry a sentence of between five and ten years in prison.

Don’t risk your future when you’ve been charged with Theft by Deception in New Jersey.

There are many defenses when it comes to allegations of state of mind or he-said, she-side types of prosecutions.

Attorney Matthew Reisig protects people from serious criminal charges such as theft by deception in New Jersey.

If you or a family member are facing charges on theft by deception, call 732-625-9661 today for a free consultation.

Criminal Defense Attorneys For Receiving Stolen Property Charges

If you receive or bring into the state property that you know or believe to be stolen, you can be charged with Receiving Stolen Property (N.J.S.A. 2C:20-7) in New Jersey.

Under the statute, the state will presume you had knowledge that the property was stolen if you are found in possession of two or more items stolen on two or more different occasions, if you have received stolen property in another transaction in the last year, if you are in the business of buying property of that nature but do not take steps to ascertain that it is not stolen, or if you are found in possession of two or more defaced access devices.

Depending on the value of the stolen property in your possession, you may be facing a sentence of up to ten years, with crippling fines that you’ll be forced to pay off after your incarceration.

There are defenses against charges of Receiving Stolen Property in New Jersey, and your best bet at defeating the case against you is to work with an experienced New Jersey theft crimes defense lawyer.

Call attorney Matthew Reisig today at 732-625-9661 and learn how you can fight back against charges of Receiving Stolen Property.

Criminal Defense Lawyer Matthew Reisig Provides Help For Those Arrested For Theft By Extortion

The use of threats to unlawfully obtain property from another is charged as Theft by Extortion (N.J.S.A. 2C:20-5) in New Jersey.

The statute defines a number of acts that, when committed with purpose of illegally gaining property, constitute extortion:

• Inflict bodily injury, confine or restrain anyone, or commit another criminal act against them
• Accuse another person of an offense, or cause charges to be instituted against another person
• Expose or publicize something about a person, whether true or false, that defames another person
• Take or withhold action as an official, or cause an official to take or withhold action
• Bring about or continue a strike, boycott, or other collective action
• Testify or withhold testimony in another’s legal action or defense
• Inflict harm which is calculated to materially harm another person.

Theft by Extortion will be graded according to the value of the extortion scheme.

Amounts smaller than $200 are charged as Disorderly Persons Offenses, comparable to a misdemeanor, and carry a potential sentence of six months.

When the amounts are between $200 and $500, Theft by Extortion is a Fourth Degree Crime, which is a felony level charge.

The sentence can be as long as 18 months, with fines and restitution.

The Third Degree Crime level is charged when the stolen property is between $500 and $75,000, or is one of several categories of property, including firearms and small amounts of drugs.

Most seriously, you can be charged with a Second Degree Crime if you steal in excess of $75,000, or the property stolen is a controlled dangerous substance in excess of one kilogram.

Conviction will lead to a sentence of between five and ten years, with heavy fines and restitution costs you’ll bear for years to come.

Theft by Extortion at any level is an extremely serious charge that will impair your ability to find work and move on with your life, even if you avoid jail time.

Experienced legal help can make a huge difference in your case.

Call Matthew Reisig today at 732-625-9661 to speak to an experienced New Jersey theft by extortion defense attorney for free.

Like all theft crimes in New Jersey, Theft by Deception is charged on a scale relative to the value of the goods that were stolen.

Theft by Deception is charged when you are alleged to have presented yourself falsely, withheld information from another party that would influence their judgement of a transaction, or if you fail to correct a false impression created earlier that is influencing a person with whom you have a confidential or financial relationship with.

As a fourth degree crime, you are charged with using Theft by Deception to appropriate goods valued between $200 and $500, and carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison.

There is no presumption of incarceration for a fourth degree crime, so you may be eligible for Pre-Trial Intervention or other alternative sentencing if this is your first arrest.

In the third degree, Theft by Deception is charged when the value of goods that was stolen are between $500 and $75,000.

The potential penalty is three to five years in state prison, though again, you may be eligible for probation or other alternative sentences if you have no prior criminal history.

As a second degree crime, Theft by Deception is charged when the value of goods is more than $75,000, and conviction carries a five to 10 year sentence.

Whatever degree you’ve been charged with, conviction will leave you with a criminal record that will exclude you from numerous opportunities in life.

Theft crimes in particular will render entire categories of employment off limits, and may impact housing and access to education as well.

Attorney Matthew Reisig defends clients in all New Jersey counties, and has an excellent record of success in defending theft charges of all types.

Call 732-625-9661 today for a free consultation.

Theft by Extortion is an extremely serious crime in New Jersey, and carries a penalty of up to ten years in state prison, with a variety of financial penalties available as well.

Part of the reason extortion is prosecuted so harshly is that it includes activities that are seen as particularly heinous, such as attempting to extort a ransom, where a person or object is held under threat.

Bribery which includes a threat if the bribe is not accepted and acted upon is another type of extortion, and that charge goes to the heart of civil service and fair governance.

If you’ve been charged with Theft by Extortion, get help right away.

Protect your future by calling attorney Matthew Reisig at 732-625-9661 and talk to an experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney for free.