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Petit Theft Florida Statute and Grand Theft Felony in Florida

Crimes alleging dishonesty or false statement can be devastating to your ability to secure and maintain employment.   Further, some retailers will also hit you with a civil penalty in addition to the criminal charge.   Crimes of Dishonesty or False Statement are a broad range of offenses that include Petit Theft Florida Statute, Grand Theft Felony Florida, Worthless Check and others.  These are all offenses that can be used to impeach you in any criminal or civil proceeding.

If you have been arrested for any type of, Grand Theft Florida Statute, Petit Theft Florida Statute charge, contact an attorney at The Thomas Law Group to immediately schedule a free consultation to develop a strategy to best handle your case.   Often times there a defenses to the case that can be raised early on or a diversion program can be negotiated so that you never actually have to step foot inside the courtroom.  This allows the person accused of the crime to avoid the embarrassment and shame of a court appearance.

Penalties for Theft Offenses Depend on the Value of the Item Stolen and/or the number of prior counseled convictions a person has for theft

Florida law provides for different types of punishments depending on the value of the item taken.

  • Grand Theft in the First Degree:

    If the value of the property stolen is $100,000 or more, then the offense will be classified as a Grand Theft in the First Degree, which is a First Degree Felony punishable by a maximum sentence of 30 years in Florida State Prison, and a fine of up to $10,000.00.

  • Grand Theft in the Second Degree:

    If the value of the property stolen is more than $20,000 but less than $100,000.00, then the offense will be classified as a Grand Theft in the Second Degree, which is a Second Degree Felony punishable by a maximum sentence of 15 years in Florida State Prison, and a fine of up to $10,000.00.

  • Grand Theft in the Third Degree:

    If the value of the property stolen is more than $300 but less than $20,000.00, then the offense will be classified as a Grand Theft in the Third Degree, which is a Third Degree Felony punishable by a maximum sentence of 5 years in Florida State Prison and a $5,000.00 fine.

    Even if the value of the property is less than $300, the offense may still be a third degree felony if the item stolen is a gun, rifle, firearm, stop sign or other property listed below or if the accused has had two prior convictions for Petit Theft

  • Petit Theft in the First Degree:

    If the value of the property stolen is more than $100 but less than $300, then the offense will be classified as a Petit Theft in the First Degree punishable by 12 months in the county jail and a $1,000.00 fine.

    If the value of the property stolen is more than $100 but less than $300, then the offense will be classified as a Petit Theft in the First Degree punishable by 12 months in the county jail and a $1,000.00 fine.

  • Petit Theft in the Second Degree:

    If the value of the property stolen is less $100.00, then the person may be charged with Petit Theft in the Second Degree, which is punishable by 60 days in the county jail and a $500.00 fine.

The criminal offense of obtaining property for a worthless check is a common offense in Florida. If you have been arrested for obtaining property for a worthless check, you may be eligible for a worthless check diversion program or eligible to have your case dismissed if certain procedures were not followed after the check was dishonored or if you did not know the check would not clear when it was written.

Florida Statute Section 832.05 defines the Florida crime of Obtaining Property for a Worthless Check, Drafts and Debit Card orders, defined under Florida law to include a situation in which an individual writes a check to obtain some property or service from another individual when the person who wrote the check knows that there are insufficient funds to cover the check.

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