Theft Crimes

Grabbing a Victim’s Property in Close Proximity to Victim Was Not Sufficient for a Robbery By Sudden Snatching Charge in Florida

Published on: August 30, 2020 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

In Florida, robbery by sudden snatching is a crime that involves a person takes the property from the victim’s person when the victim is aware of the taking. Robbery by sudden snatching is a serious charge as it involves the possibility of violence and fear by the victim. However, the charge itself does not require any more force than what is required to take the property, and it does not require the victim to resist. Robbery by sudden snatching is a third degree felony and one of the more serious ones.

In a recent Jacksonville, Florida case, the defendant reached into a vehicle and stole two phones that were on the dashboard. The victim was in the driver’s seat, but was not in actual possession of the phones at the time. It was alleged that the defendant made some contact with the victim as he grabbed the phones.

The criminal defense attorney argued that this could not be robbery by sudden snatching since the victim did not have the phones on him at the time. The jury found him guilty, but the conviction was reversed by the appellate court who noted that actual possession of the property by the victim was a requirement of that statute. If the defendant makes contact with the victim as he takes property that is not on the victim, that is not enough for a robbery by sudden snatching conviction.

Florida Police Arrest Suspect for Repossessing Vehicle Used as Collateral

Published on: August 14, 2017 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

Most of the posts on this blog deal with various areas of Florida law or new trends in the law. A subset of posts deals with the overly aggressive police and prosecutors who makes arrests and charge cases when either the law does not support it or the equities of the situation suggest government intervention is not necessary or appropriate.

In this case near Jacksonville, Florida, a bonding company agreed to post bond for a defendant. The person putting up the bond provided the title to his vehicle as security for the bond. The bond process in Florida works as follows: when a person is arrested, a judge will set a bond for that person in just about every case. Once the bond is set, for example at $10,000, the defendant will remain in custody until his case is resolved unless a person posts a bond. There are generally two ways to post the bond. Someone can pay the full amount of $10,000 to the jail in cash. The benefit of this is that the person will get the money back (minus fees and costs in some cases), when the case is over no matter how it ends as long as the defendant does not skip court and run away. Or, the person can pay a bonding company to bond the defendant out. In this case, the bonding company will normally take 10%, or $1,000, as the fee. The benefit to this is the person only has to come up with 10% of the bond, but that 10% is gone once it is paid because that is the fee to pay for the service the bonding company provides. The bonding company is responsible for the other 90%. However, many bonding companies will require security for that other 90% in case the defendant does run away.

In this case, the person gave the bonding company the title to his car as collateral. The bonding company would have a right to claim the car if the defendant fled. If not, the bonding company would return the title once the case was over. The defendant ultimately fled, and the bonding company was forced to pay the full bond. The bonding company went after the person who paid the 10% of the bond for the rest of the bond amount. That person could not pay so the bonding company sought to take the vehicle. After the bonding company representative took the vehicle, the owner reported the vehicle stolen. The police arrested the bonding company agent for grand theft of the vehicle.

You Can Be Convicted of Burglary in Florida Without Ever Entering a Residence or Building

Published on: February 14, 2017 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

When most people think of the crime of burglary, they think it involves someone breaking into a home or other building and stealing something that is inside. In fact, in Florida the crime of burglary is much broader than that. First, it can involve just about any building, including vacant buildings, and it can also involve other structures like a car or a boat.

Next, a person does not have to steal something inside the conveyance to be guilty of burglary. If a person enters the conveyance with the intent to commit any number of crimes, that can be a burglary. Finally, it is not even necessary for the perpetrator to enter the structure. Putting a hand through a window can be sufficient for a burglary conviction.

In a recent burglary case south of Jacksonville, Florida, the defendants planned to burglarize a home and walked onto the porch in front of the home. They tried to get into the home, but they could not find a way in. Someone saw them and called the police. They were arrested as they were leaving the home and ultimately charged with burglary of a dwelling.

Florida Uttering Forged Card Charge Did Not Apply to Gift Card

Published on: November 21, 2016 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

In Florida, there are a variety of criminal statutes that deal with fraudulently using a credit card or altering a credit card to use it in an unauthorized manner. When a defendant allegedly violates one of these criminal statutes, it is up to the state to make sure they charge the appropriate crime. If they do not use the correct charge, the case might get thrown out.

For instance, in a case just south of Jacksonville, Florida, the defendant had apparently used altered gift cards to purchase items at a grocery store. The manager at the grocery store noticed that the gift cards had been altered and called the police. When the police arrived and arrested the suspect, they found more altered gift cards in his possession. The state charged the defendant under a Florida statute that deals with using an altered credit card to fraudulently obtain goods or services. The criminal defense attorney moved to dismiss the charges because the credit card statute does not apply to gift cards. Under the statute, the term “credit card” is specifically defined. The statute gives examples of different cards that apply. Each example refers to a card that is issued for the use of the cardholder. The “cardholder” is also defined under Florida law as the person or organization whose name is on the card and for whom the card was issued.

As most people know, gift cards generally are not issued for a specific user. They normally do not have the name of the recipient printed on the card. Therefore, because the Florida criminal statute specifically refers to credit cards which are defined a certain way, and gift cards do not fall under the definition of credit cards, the criminal defense attorney argued that the defendant could not be guilty of that crime. The court agreed, and the case was dismissed.

In Florida Grand Theft Case, the State Must Prove the Value of the Item Stolen

Published on: October 17, 2016 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

In Florida, a theft is a felony offense, known as grand theft, if the value of the property stolen was $300 or more. If the value of the property is significantly higher, the offense can be a second degree felony or a first degree felony depending on the circumstances. If the value of the property is less than $300, the offense is a misdemeanor. Therefore, when someone commits a theft, the level of the crime and how serious it is depends heavily on the value of the property stolen. It is up to the state to prove that value beyond a reasonable doubt. If the state cannot prove the value of the property is $300 or more, the offense will be a misdemeanor even if it seems obvious that the property is more valuable.

For example, in a recent theft case near Jacksonville, Florida, the defendant stole some used fencing material from a business. The fencing material was old and had not been in use recently, so the business did not know its value or what they paid for it. At the trial, the state did not present any evidence of the market value of the fencing but did have someone from a hardware store testify that the replacement value of the fencing was $450. Based on that testimony, the defendant was convicted of grand theft.

The criminal defense attorney appealed the grand theft conviction and won. According to the Florida theft statute, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt what the market value of the stolen property was at the time it was stolen. If for some legitimate reason the state cannot determine the market value at the time of the theft, the state can rely on the replacement value of the property near the time of the offense. In this case, the state did not attempt to prove the market value of the stolen property. The state also did not establish why they were unable to prove the market value. Without such proof of why they could not determine market value, the state was not permitted to use replacement value instead. Additionally, the witness who testified about replacement value did not adequately prove replacement value. The evidence of replacement value has to relate to similar property around the time of the theft. The state must have some evidence of the condition of the property when it was stolen and/or how new the property was. For instance, if used fencing material was stolen some time ago, the state cannot just being in a witness to say what new fencing would cost today. The state must offer evidence of what used fencing materials would cost similar to what was stolen.

Florida Burglary Conviction Reversed Where Defendant Stole From Store Open to the Public

Published on: September 12, 2016 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

In Florida, the crime of burglary involves a person breaking into or entering a place with the intent to commit a theft or other crime inside. The crime of burglary in Florida can get a little complicated based on the type of place that is entered, where the defendant was and what happened once inside. However, what is clear is that a person does not have to break in to be guilty of burglary. Simply going into a place without permission to steal something or commit certain other crimes inside is normally sufficient for a burglary conviction.

However, under Florida law, it is not a burglary if a person enters a place to commit a crime that is open to the public. In a recent burglary case near Jacksonville, Florida, the defendant entered a 7 Eleven store during normal business hours and stole money after threatening the cashier with a gun. The prosecutor charged him with several crimes including burglary with a weapon (the penalties for burglary with a weapon are more severe in Florida than a burglary without a weapon). The defendant was convicted of this charge, but the criminal defense lawyer appealed.

The conviction for burglary was reversed. It is a defense to burglary in Florida if the place that was entered was open to the public. That was the case here. Since the defendant walked into the store just as any customer would be permitted to do and stayed in an area where customers were allowed to be, it was not a burglary. This looks like a case where the prosecutor overcharged the defendant and wasted state money and resources on an extraneous charge as the prosecutor clearly had other serious charges to file that also come with severe penalties.

Paying Back the Money in Government Benefits Fraud Cases Can Lead to Your Arrest in Florida

Published on: June 17, 2016 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

As criminal defense lawyers in Jacksonville, Florida, we handle a wide variety of fraud and theft cases in state and federal courts. A common criminal case we see is one where a person receives government benefits, such as unemployment benefits, without proper authorization. For instance, a person might misstate certain facts in the benefits application that allows him/her to receive the benefits when he/she really is not eligible under the law to receive them. Other times, a person may be entitled to receive the government benefits initially, but due to changed circumstances, such as a new job or a marriage that brings a second income into the household, the person is no longer eligible to receive the benefits but fails to disclose the new information to the government and keeps getting the benefits despite no longer being eligible.

In these cases, it is common for someone in the government benefits office to contact the recipient and alert him/her that there is a problem. If it is confirmed that the person is receiving benefits improperly, the government agency will often offer the recipient a deal by which he/she acknowledges the fraud and agrees to pay the unauthorized money back. This can be a good deal, but it can also create problems for the recipient. It can work out great if the recipient agrees to pay the money back over time, pays the money back according to the plan and then the government agency closes the case without ever alerting the police. However, it can be problematic if the person admits the fraud to the agency, agrees to a plan to pay the money back but then fails to make the payments for whatever reason. In this scenario, which is common, the government agency normally will then take the case to the police or the prosecutor in which case an arrest and felony charges are likely. Additionally, because the recipient has likely already acknowledged the fraud to the government agency and agreed to pay the money back, it becomes difficult to defend the criminal case by denying the fraud. Of course, as usual it depends on the circumstances of the particular case. We have also seen cases where a person has agreed to pay the money back, was making the payments according to the plan and law enforcement still became involved resulting in criminal charges.

Fortunately, the state and federal prosecutors are usually reasonable in these kinds of cases, as long as the amount of money is not too significant. They will normally consider the fact that the defendant tried to pay the money back, especially if there is a valid reason for not being able to repay the full amount. But, these are still serious felony charges, in most cases, and it is important that they are handled correctly. When they are handled correctly with an experienced criminal defense attorney, it is possible for the charges to get dropped or for the defendant to otherwise avoid a criminal conviction so his/her record can be cleared.

In Florida, a Robbery By Force Can Be Committed Without Touching the Victim

Published on: February 27, 2016 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

In Florida, robbery is a serious felony charge. Many people misunderstand the differences among robbery, theft and burglary. A theft generally occurs when you steal something from a person outside of their presence, or not in their possession. If you leave your phone on your desk and go to the bathroom and I take it while you are gone, that would be a theft. A burglary generally involves breaking into a place, or entering a place without authorization, with the intent to commit a theft or other felony therein. If I come into your house through an open window while you are at work and steal your TV, that would be a burglary. A robbery is considered more of a violent crime. It generally involves taking something directly from a person in the person’s presence. If I push you down and steal the bag you are carrying, that is a robbery. Likewise, if I approach you and threaten you with violence if you do not give me your bag, that would also be a robbery.

Actual violence or even physical contact is not necessary for a robbery conviction. Obviously, using the threat of violence or threatening someone with a weapon to take someone’s property is considered robbery. But, there is also a form of robbery referred to as robbery by sudden snatching. This normally involves snatching property from someone’s possession, like grabbing a person around someone’s shoulder or keys from someone’s hands. However, a recent case near Jacksonville, Florida shows that such force is not always necessary for a robbery by sudden snatching conviction.

In that case, the defendant grabbed a cell phone that was on the victim’s lap. The criminal defense lawyer argued this constituted the less serious charge of theft since the victim was not holding or embracing the phone. The appellate court disagreed, and the defendant was convicted of robbery. It appears that the crime of robbery by sudden snatching occurs when a defendant grabs an item that is being carried by the victim or is on the victim. If the defendant grabs an items next to the victim, perhaps where the victim put his bag or phone down on the table or a bench next to the victim, then that would likely be theft rather than robbery. But then again, it probably depends on the circumstances. It is an important distinction as a robbery charge normally yields a more serious sentence than a theft charge.

In Florida, State May Be Able To Prove a Burglary Charge If Defendant Has The Property Shortly After The Theft

Published on: January 9, 2015 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

In Florida, prosecutors often charge someone with burglary even when there is no direct evidence that the defendant was at the house, business or other location that was burglarized. Generally, a burglary involves a person entering some structure with the intent to commit a theft or other crime once inside. Where a suspect gets caught breaking into a house or leaving a house with stolen property, a burglary charge is easier to prove. However, many burglary cases in Florida are brought even when there is no direct evidence establishing the defendant was at the location that was burglarized. There is a jury instruction in Florida that says a jury can consider the fact that the defendant was in possession of stolen property shortly after the burglary to find a defendant guilty of burglary. This is the case if it is clear the property was in fact stolen and the issue is whether the defendant was the one who stole it. This instruction does not come into play when the defendant admits he/she took the property, but, perhaps, defends the case by saying he/she had a right to take it.

For example, in many cases, there will be a burglary of a house, car or other structure that can be pinpointed to a certain time, i.e. a victim hears that his car is bring broken into and immediately calls the police at 5:00 p.m. The victim says his laptop computer was stolen from his vehicle. The police will likely check local pawn shops. If the police uncover evidence showing the pawn shop that is 10 minutes away from the victim’s car has a pawn ticket and fingerprint from the defendant indicating he pawned the laptop computer at 5:15 p.m., that defendant will likely be charged with burglary, among other charges. While there may be no direct evidence, i.e. an eyewitness, that the defendant broke into the car and physically took the laptop, the state can get an instruction to the jury telling them they can consider the fact that the defendant had the stolen property shortly after the theft when considering a burglary charge. The defendant can always refute this instruction by claiming he had a reason why he had that stolen property unrelated to the burglary. This usually takes the form of a defendant claiming a friend gave it to him to sell or he bought it from a stranger and resold it. However, the closer the defendant’s possession of the stolen property is in time to the burglary, the less credible that kind of defense will be.

In Retail Theft/Shoplifting Cases in Florida, the Sale Price Controls the Value of the Stolen Item

Published on: September 19, 2014 | by Lasnetski Gihon Law

In Florida, everyone understands that stealing items from a store is a crime. However, what may not be clear is that the conduct may be a misdemeanor or felony depending on the value of the item(s) stolen. Even less clear may be how that value is determined. This can be a critical issue in a defendant’s theft case because, in all likelihood, it is going to be much easier and much better to resolve a case in misdemeanor court than felony court. Misdemeanor crimes in Florida are those crimes that can result in a punishment of 12 months in jail or less. Most often, misdemeanor crimes such as petit theft result in no jail time, although it depends on the circumstances of the case, the defendant’s criminal history and other factors. Felony crimes in Florida are crimes that can result in a punishment of more than 12 months in prison. Felony prosecutors and felony judges routinely determine that defendants in their courtrooms deserve incarceration. Additionally, felony convictions come with the loss of certain rights that are not applicable in misdemeanor cases.

In Florida, the crime of shoplifting or theft is a misdemeanor crime if the value of the property is less than $300. If the value of the property is $300 or more, it is a third degree felony, and the crime becomes more serious as the value of the property increases. The value of the property in retail theft cases means the sale price of the merchandise at the time the property was taken. This is normally determined by the price on the price tag when the property is taken. Sometimes the police and/or prosecutors are confused about this. This can work to a defendant’s advantage or disadvantage. For instance, a clothing store may mark up the value of an item significantly. A shirt that sells for $100 may have a market value or wholesale value of much less. However, if a person steals three of them, he/she may be facing a felony theft charge even though the store paid much less than $300 for the three shirts.

On the other hand, consider a case we had several months ago at Lasnetski Gihon Law here in Jacksonville. In December, a client went to a department store and stole several items. The loss prevention officer stopped him/her and recovered the stolen items. To determine the value of the stolen items, the loss prevention officer went to the store computer to determine the price at which the items normally sold. Using those figures, the total value came to close to $400, and our client was arrested for felony theft. Everyone knows that department stores advertise huge sales in December and mark the merchandise down significantly during that time. We checked the sale prices for similar items and determined that the sale prices on these items totaled closer to $250, which would make the crime a misdemeanor. The arresting officer simply relied on the inflated value figures from the store’s loss prevention officer, but a little investigation revealed the true figures applicable in a retail theft case were much lower. That was the difference between a felony charge and a misdemeanor charge for the client.