If you are accused of shoplifting, store owners or managers may simply ban you from their establishment. However, if you are arrested and convicted, the offense will most likely go on your criminal record. To avoid the serious negative impact this can have on your life, you should consult with an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible after being charged.
The Law Office of Jason A. Volet is ready to make sure you know your rights and mount a strong defense on your behalf. Depending on your case, we may be able to have the charge against you reduced or dismissed, as well as remove the offense from your record if you were previously convicted. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation.
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What Counts as Shoplifting in New Jersey?
It is important to remember that “shoplifting” is not limited to situations where defendants actually remove items from a store without paying. In New Jersey, shoplifting occurs when someone:
- Takes merchandise from a store without paying for it.
- Conceals merchandise in a store with the intention of taking it without paying.
- Alters, transfers, or removes a price tag or label from a piece of merchandise and attempts to purchase it for less than the full price.
- Transfers merchandise from its original container into a new one to avoid paying the full price.
- Under-rings merchandise to avoid paying the full price.
- Takes a shopping cart from the premises of a retail store.
How Is Shoplifting Punished in New Jersey?
In New Jersey, most crimes are classified as either disorderly persons offenses or indictable crimes, the respective equivalents of misdemeanors and felonies in other states. The severity of a shoplifting offense varies depending on the value of the stolen merchandise. Penalties normally break down as follows:
- Shoplifting less than $200 in merchandise is a disorderly persons offense punishable by up to $1,000 in fines and 6 months in jail.
- Shoplifting $200-500 in merchandise is a fourth-degree indictable crime punishable by up to $10,000 in fines and 18 months in jail.
- Shoplifting $500-$75,000 in merchandise is a third-degree indictable crime punishable by up to $15,000 in fines and 3-5 years in jail.
- Shoplifting more than $75,000 in merchandise is a second-degree indictable crime punishable by up to $150,000 in fines and 5-10 years in jail.
In addition to these punishments, anyone convicted of shoplifting in New Jersey will be ordered to perform community service.
How Long Can a Shoplifting Charge Stay on My Record?
If a shoplifting charge goes on your criminal record, it usually stays there permanently until you take steps to remove it. Among other things, while a shoplifting conviction remains on your record, you could have trouble with things like finding employment, applying for loans, purchasing firearms, and even exercising your right to vote. Contact our law offices to discuss your eligibility for petitioning to have a conviction removed from your record.
How Can a Criminal Defense Attorney Help?
The last thing you want is a shoplifting conviction on your criminal record for the rest of your life. The legal team at The Law Office of Jason A. Volet can work to get your shoplifting charges reduced or dismissed entirely, as well as help you expunge shoplifting offenses from your record if you have been convicted. Contact us today to speak with an experienced criminal defense attorney in a free, confidential consultation.
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About the Author
Jason A. Volet
Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a criminal trial attorney, Jason A. Volet focuses his practice exclusively on criminal and municipal defense in New Jersey and New York. He earned his B.A. in political science from Rutgers College in 1995 and his J.D. from the Hofstra University School of Law in 1998. Mr. Volet began his career in the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, where he gained extensive experience prosecuting both juvenile and adult offenders. Now, as a criminal defense attorney, he uses that experience to fight for the rights of individuals who have been charged with a crime.
