Retail Fraud
Michigan Retail Fraud Attorney
Retail Fraud is commonly referred to as shoplifting. It can occur where an accused person either physically removes the merchandise or alters or changes a price tag, or tries to get a fraudulent refund, perhaps with the aid of a store employee.
Retail Fraud is a serious crime and can have long term repercussions for a person’s employment and eligibility for student loans. Any person convicted of felony retail fraud is ineligible to receive federally guaranteed student loans under current law and many businesses will not hire persons with a criminal records involving theft or dishonesty. Many people consider retail fraud to be a minor matter or a youthful indiscretion, but in the era of computerized criminal histories this cannot be taken lightly and every effort must be made to fight these cases and keep them off your record.
There are three degrees of Retail Fraud:
| Merchandise valued at over $1000 or a prior conviction. Punishment: Up to 5 years in prison and or a $10,000 fine. A felony. |
| Merchandise valued at $200–$1000 or a prior conviction. Punishment: Up to 1 year in jail and a/or a $2,000 fine. A misdemeanor. |
| Merchandise valued under $200. Punishment: Up to 93 days in jail and/or a $500 fine. A misdemeanor. |
If you are accused of retail fraud, call Richard Rosenberg immediately at 248 584–4700.
Clients accused of retail fraud have come from diverse backgrounds including college students, and professionals, housewives and retirees. Often, our clients were perfectly capable of paying for the merchandise and had no plans to steal when they walked into the store. It is not uncommon to find that the client accused of retail fraud is a person living with tremendous stress or is in some type of abusive situation. Retail fraud is a theft crime, so it must be proven that there was intent to steal or defraud when it is sometimes an accident or inadvertent, and with the possibility of onset of Alzheimer’s and other such diseases for the elderly, a case of unawareness.
In some cases, a client is wrongfully accused of retail fraud. To properly evaluate your chances at fighting the case, we would need to obtain copies of the evidence including the store video and any police reports, and the testimony of store security personnel. Time is of the essence as videos can be taped over or destroyed. Call Richard Rosenberg at 248 584–4700 or send an email immediately.
