When you are accused of any type of crime in Charlotte or elsewhere in North Carolina, it is pertinent that you schedule a consultation with an experienced criminal defense attorney who can help explain your rights and responsibilities to you. Whether it's a minor charge of shoplifting or an allegation of larceny, you need to respond in a serious manner. At Powers Law Firm, we represent those accused of larceny, embezzlement, and fraud in Charlotte.
The prosecution may be doing everything in their power to gather information to convict you and put you behind bars and your failure to retain appropriate legal representation immediately from a knowledgeable law firm could have an impact on your ability to protect your freedom. Theft crimes in North Carolina is a broad umbrella term that includes charges such as concealment, shoplifting, and larceny.
A broad range of penalties may apply depending on the type of theft for which you are convicted. The penalty that you receive in a case like this depends on several different factors including:
In addition to the criminal consequences of conviction for a theft, larceny or embezzlement charge, you may also have consequences in terms of your future employment, social and educational opportunities. As a result of the severe penalties that can have far reaching implications for your life, it is important that you schedule a consultation with an experienced Charlotte larceny lawyer as soon as possible.
Embezzlement charges are more serious because they involve the taking of property or money that you had access to because you were in a position of trust or power. With any theft charges, however, the Charlotte lawyers at Powers Law Firm can assist you with developing a defense strategy.
What You Need to Know About Theft CrimesThere are many different theft crimes which may fall into the category of misdemeanor or felony offenses depending on the specifics of your case. While your first conviction for a minor theft crime for someone who has no criminal background could lead to a minor penalty such as restitution, probation, a fine or a reduced jail term, the consequences are still stiff enough that you should contact an experienced Charlotte theft attorney as soon as possible.
It could be an option to pursue other alternative consequences instead of jail time. Felony crimes are elevated from the penalties of misdemeanors. These are usually punished by more than a year in jail. These crimes are typically those that involve violence or force. Furthermore, your crime can be elevated to felony status if the value of the property taken is beyond a certain amount set forth in North Carolina statutes. In some cases, your Charlotte criminal defense attorney may even see a felony charge in conjunction with tampering or attempting to destroy an anti-shoplifting device, for example.
Your Charlotte criminal defense attorney should be concerned about how the outcome of your case can influence you and your loved ones. This is why as soon as possible after you have been accused, you need to schedule a consultation with an experienced attorney. This gives your lawyer the best possible opportunity to review your case and all of the relevant evidence to be able to aggressively pursue protection of your rights.
Concealment and ShopliftingMany people believe that concealment or shoplifting charges in Charlotte are not that serious and should be handled by yourself rather than retaining an experienced lawyer. You may even be tempted to go with a public defender because a shoplifting charge seems minor.
These are charged as misdemeanor; however, you could be charged with them if you forgot about an item that you took out of the store. When you are facing conviction for concealment or shoplifting, you may be looking at jail time which is why you need to retain a Charlotte criminal defense attorney experienced with theft and shoplifting charges as soon as you have been accused.
Exercise your right to speak to a lawyer as this could have a significant impact on your ability to avoid life changing consequences. Your employment opportunities could be limited by a charge even as small as shoplifting.
Police Errors That Might Increase Chances of a Dismissal In many cases, there are crucial pieces of evidence that need to be evaluated by your Charlotte criminal defense attorney immediately after your arrest that could weaken a state's case against you. For example, charging documents may not describe a store correctly in a shoplifting allegation.
In North Carolina, you have the right to be informed about who you allegedly took property from. If you or someone you know has been accused or detained by any authorities on any type of larceny charge, it is critical that you share your concerns and the outline of the events that happened leading up to your arrest with a Charlotte criminal defense attorney.
Every possible avenue should be explored in an effort to fight these charges. You also need to understand the benefits of your right to remain silent and your right to request an attorney. You’re not required to speak to the authorities without a lawyer present if you’ve been arrested.
With larceny being so significant in terms of extensive jail time and a serious effect on your future employment opportunities, our law firm understands that all people make mistakes and we work hard to help you put this unfortunate circumstance behind you and ideally be able to put this issue behind you without a criminal record following you.
In some cases, innocent shoppers or individuals are charged by overly aggressive loss prevention officers or the person has misidentified you as the thief.
Certain individuals who are accused of low level and first time crimes may be eligible to participate in deferred prosecution and diversion programs. If you fulfill these programs requirements such as performing community service or paying restitution, criminal charges are dropped. However, these deferred prosecution programs are not always available to those accused in Charlotte. Your lawyer should be willing to investigate all the options available to you, though.
This is where your criminal defense attorney can become an important asset in terms of negotiating with the prosecutor for lighter sentencing or lesser charges in exchange for your guilty plea. In some cases, community service could be used to get a dismissal in your case. Discussing things with your attorney as soon as possible is strongly recommended.
Helpful Information About Criminal Charges