Articles Posted in Theft Crimes

People are shoplifting more at Jacksonville, Florida businesses these days, according to an article on Firstcoastnews.com. These businesses are fighting back by placing better security systems in their stores including color cameras to detect people stealing in their stores. Years before, it was fairly rare to see a shoplifting case with good, color security photos that could actually be used to identify the shoplifter. Oftentimes, companies had security cameras with grainy, black and white photos that made it difficult to identify anyone. These cameras were often focused on employees and would not capture any shoplifting or other criminal activity committed by others. As technology has become better and crime has become more prevalent in Jacksonville, companies have moved towards using better security systems that are more capable of preventing shoplifting and other thefts or at least identifying the offender when theft occurs.

In Florida, the crime of shoplifting can be a fairly minor crime or quite serious depending on the value of what is stolen. There is actually no crime called shoplifting in the Florida statutes, although that is a common colloquial term for theft in retail stores. The crime of theft is a misdemeanor if the value of the property stolen is less than $300. Misdemeanors can carry a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail. However, if the value of the property stolen is $300 or more, the theft crime becomes a felony. If the value of the property is high enough or other aggravating facotrs exist, the theft can be considered grand theft and can be a first degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Two employees of the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) were arrested for grand theft after allegedly stealing reels of copper wire from the utility, according to an article on Firstcoastnews.com. The investigation began when another woman was apparently arrested in connection with $135,000 worth of copper wire taken from the JEA salvage yard.

Theft of copper wire has become a much more prevalent crime over the years in Jacksonville and throughout the country. As the price of copper wire went up in the U.S. and internationally (by more than 5 times in the mid 2000’s), copper wire thefts have increased as well. One government study estimated that $1 billion worth of copper wire is stolen each year in the U.S. These thefts often occur at abandoned homes, warehouses and construction sites. Copper thieves look for copper wire in air conditioning units, exposed pipes and many other locations. However, stealing copper can be dangerous, as these people found out when they were electrocuted trying to cut through power lines made of copper.

In Florida, theft can be a fairly minor crime or it can be very serious with significant penalties. If the value of the property stolen is less than $300, the theft is a misdemeanor crime in Florida. Because copper is so valuable these days, most copper thefts of any significance will be well above that threshold. If the value of the property is $100,000 or more, the crime is grand theft and would be a first degree felony punishable by a maximum 15 years in prison. While most theft cases are misdemeanors or in the $300 to $20,000 range making the crime a third degree felony punishable by a maximum of 5 years in prison (but often resolved with minimal jail time or probation), copper theft cases can get over the $100,000 threshold and into the first degree felony range fairly quickly.

Law enforcement officers in the Jacksonville area and throughout Florida are cracking down on people who are stealing vehicles to change their identity for resale or to strip them for parts or scrap metal. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) recently arrested six people in Jacksonville who are accused of stealing cars and buying stolen cars to break them down for parts or sell them for the scrap metal, according to an article on News4jax.com. The arrests were part of a specific effort to crack down on people stealing cars for this purpose.

The Florida legislature has also been involved in addressing the issue of stolen cars. A new law was recently passed which made it illegal for salvage companies and others to salvage a car for scrap metal or strip it for parts without the title to the vehicle. In the past, people could sell old cars to salvage yards without the title, and the salvage yards would break the cars down or crush them and sell the parts or the metal. Requiring the person selling the vehicle to the salvage yard to provide the title to the vehicle presumably lends some legitimacy to the transaction and helps prevent people from quickly selling stolen vehicles to the salvage company, although fake titles are fairly common and many people keep their titles in the glove compartment.

Apparently, Jacksonville police also used Craigslist as a way to investigate this crime by going after people who advertised that they would buy old cars without requiring the title. Such advertisements are now against the law due to the recent change in the law.

Several fence contractors were arrested for fraud in the Jacksonville, Florida area, according to an article on Firstcoasnews.com. The allegations are that the contractors took money from the victims but failed to perform the requested work.

When the state prosecutes contractors for fraud, these cases are not as clear as they may seem to the police and the prosecutor. When a contractor accepts money to do a job and never returns, that is one thing. However, because of the way the contracting business works, there are often unavoidable delays and other issues that can prevent a contractor from beginning work when he/she originally planned. Other times, a contractor performs the work, but the client is not satisfied or the client and the contractor had different ideas as to what work was to be done and how. The client may go to the police and claim fraud, but these kinds of cases are more appropriately left to the civil courts. Sometimes, there is a dispute over money that also is not criminal. For instance, the job may cost more than the contractor initially estimated or the client does not pay the installments in time. This may result in a delay in the job. That does not mean a crime has been committed, but rather a difference of opinion that should be resolved outside of the criminal courts.

We have seen many criminal prosecutions of contractors. Some are warranted based on clear fraud committed by the contractors. But other times, there is an honest dispute between contractor and client that should be resolved informally or by a civil lawsuit.

Three people were arrested by federal law enforcement officials for allegedly setting up a scheme where they would steal money from local banks in Jacksonville, Florida using bad checks and ATM cards, according to an article on News4jax.com. According to federal officials, the scheme involved depositing a bad check into an existing account with an ATM machine and then using an ATM card to withdraw the money before the bank realized the check was bad. In order to complete this type of fraud, the person would have to have a legitimate ATM card that could access a real account and the bank would have to credit the bad check to the account before checking to make sure it was a good check with funds available. According to federal officials, the suspects were able to get people to sell their ATM cards allowing them to quickly access the accounts where the bad checks where deposited.

A woman from Lehigh Acres, Florida was arrested for allegedly teaching children how to shoplift, which is the term commonly used to describe a theft of store merchandise. Lehigh Acres is about 5 1/2 hours southeast of Jacksonville, Florida. The woman was charged with the crimes of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, child cruelty and petit theft, according to an article on News4Jax.com.

This story raises a question as to what a person’s exposure to criminal liability is based on his/her involvement in a crime. In other words, if a person encourages another to commit a crime, such as theft, but does not actually steal the items, is that person guilty of a crime in Florida? A person can be found guilty of attempting to commit the crime, i.e. attempted petit or grand theft, if he/she does some act to try and commit the crime but does not succeed. Therefore, a person does not have to successfully complete the crime to be found guilty of a crime. Additionally, considering the story referenced above, if a person encourages or induces a child under the age of 12 to commit a crime, that person is also guilty of the crime of criminal attempt.

Next, a person who commands, requests or encourages another to perform some specific act that constitutes a crime or an attempted crime in Florida is guilty of the crime of solicitation. Therefore, a person can be guilty of a crime in Florida merely by words of encouragement for another even if that person had no other involvement in the commission of the crime.