Fort Bend County Theft Defense Lawyer

Theft crimes in Texas include the following:

• Employee theft
• Theft of services
• Fraud and forgery
• Shoplifting
• Identity theft
• Unlawful/unauthorized use of a motor vehicle
• Embezzlement
• Passing a bad check
• Welfare fraud
• Insurance fraud
• Buying or Accepting stolen property

THEFT PENALTIES IN TEXAS

Is a theft a felony or misdemeanor?

The range of punishment for a particular theft case is determined by the dollar amount of the alleged stolen property. The more an item costs the higher the penalty range for stealing it.

Classified by only value, your case will be charged by the following scale:

• Less than $100, class C misdemeanor.
• Between $100 > $750, class B misdemeanor.
• Between $750 > $2,500, class A misdemeanor.
• Between $2,500 > $30,000, state jail felony.
• Between $30,000 > $150,000, third degree felony.
• Between $150,000 > $300,000, second degree felony.
• From $300,000 or more, first degree felony.

You may have certain elements of your case which could expose you to the next highest category if it is shown on the trial of your case that:

1. you were a public servant at the time of the offense and the property appropriated came into the your custody, possession, or control by virtue of your status as a public servant;


2. you were in a contractual relationship with government at the time of the offense and the property appropriated came into your custody, possession, or control by virtue of the contractual relationship;


3. the owner of the property appropriated was at the time of the offense:


1. an elderly individual; or
2. a nonprofit organization;


4. you were a Medicare provider in a contractual relationship with the federal government at the time of the offense and the property appropriated came into your custody, possession, or control by virtue of the contractual relationship; or


5. during the commission of the offense, you intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly:


1. caused a fire exit alarm to sound or otherwise become activated;
2. deactivated or otherwise prevented a fire exit alarm or retail theft detector from sounding; or
3. used a shielding or deactivation instrument to prevent or attempt to prevent detection of the offense by a retail theft detector.

CONTACT A FT. BEND COUNTY CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER

Prosecutors and law enforcement agents will work to make sure that you face consequences if you are believed to have committed any type of thievery. Even if this is a one-time offense, you could still face harsh penalties if you are convicted of a theft crime. With the help of Ft. Bend County theft crime defense attorney, Ross Torres, you can rest assured that your rights will be protected throughout your case.