Shoplifting Lawyer Clawson

Hire a Clawson Michigan Lawyer Who Specializes in Defending Shoplifting Cases

If you were arrested for misdemeanor or felony shoplifting in Clawson Michigan, you need an experienced criminal defense attorney who will fight for you and your future.   No matter if your accusation is from a national chain retailer (such as Staples, CVS, or Aldi) or a locally based Clawson business, help is available for you. Get Hilf & Hilf, PLC on your side for great legal advice and swift action on your behalf to defend your shoplifting accusation. Hilf & Hilf, PLC attorney Daniel Hilf routinely appears at the 52/4 District Court in Troy (the Court with jurisdiction over Clawson cases), the 6th Circuit Court in Pontiac (the Court that handles felony pleas and trials in Oakland County), and courtrooms throughout Michigan defending shoplifting charges.  

Facing a shoplifting allegation due to a Clawson Michigan arrest does not make you a bad person.  In fact, shoplifting is aggressively prosecuted offense by the Clawson City Attorney and the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, however it is often based only upon an single incident due to a temporary lapse in otherwise good judgment.  Even though shoplifting accusations are common, there are serious consequences which attach with a conviction that will affect your life in a very negative way.  A Clawson related shoplifting sentence may include any or a combination the following: the loss of your freedom (potential incarceration by a Judge); probation with strict supervisory conditions; loss of employment; professional licensing issues (for lawyers, nurses, stock brokers, and other licensed professionals); loss of educational opportunities; steep fines and costs; immigration problems (for persons that are not United States citizens); and personal embarrassment.  If you are faced with any type of shoplifting allegation, you need a respected local shoplifting defense lawyer who is completely on your side and prepared to go to work for you.

There are several different in store behaviors that can manifest in a shoplifting charge: when store merchandise is stolen or an attempt to steal store merchandise is made; the price tag of the merchandise is intentionally changed to a lower price in order to defraud the store; or merchandise is fraudulently exchanged in order to obtain money, store credit, or other store merchandise.  Clawson Michigan related shoplifting offenses that are prosecuted at the 52/4 District Court and 6th Circuit Court include the following:

First Degree Retail Fraud is a felony charge that carries up to a 5 year maximum prison sentence that is prosecuted when the merchandise involved is $1,000 (one thousand dollars) or more, or if the merchandise involved is $200 (two hundred dollars) or more and the person has a prior theft conviction [he Judge has the discretion to not incarcerate the person accused and/or convicted, even though the maximum penalty is high]. 

Organized Retail Theft is felony charge that carries up to a 5 year maximum prison sentence that is also subject to applicable habitual offender sentencing provisions.  For this offense the prosecution usually alleges that the intent of the Defendant is to shoplift and then resell the stolen merchandise he or she steals to another person or business [he Judge has the discretion to not incarcerate the person accused and/or convicted, even though the maximum penalty is high].

Second Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a 1 year maximum county jail sentence (the Judge has the discretion to not incarcerate the person accused and/or convicted, even though the maximum penalty is high) , that is prosecuted when the merchandise involved is at least $200 (two hundred dollars) but less than $1000 (one thousand dollars), or if the merchandise involved is under $200 (two hundred dollars) and the person has a prior theft conviction.  

Third Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a 93 day maximum county jail sentence that is prosecuted under either State law or local ordinance, when the merchandise involved in the offense is less than $200 (two hundred dollars) [he Judge has the discretion to not incarcerate the person accused and/or convicted, even though the maximum penalty is high].

Removal of a Theft Detection Device is a misdemeanor charges that carries up to a 1 year maximum county jail sentence under State law [again, the Judge has the discretion to not incarcerate the person accused and/or convicted, even though the maximum penalty is high]. 

Searching For a the Best Local Clawson Michigan Lawyer for a Retail Fraud Arrest or Ticket?

Many national and local merchants in Clawson have loss prevention related practices with the goal of reducing shoplifting losses and related costs, avoiding contested litigation, and deterring overall store theft (including other activities such as embezzlement and credit card fraud).  It is not uncommon for store to employ several persons who are just focused on loss prevention to attempt to combat the costs and liabilities associated with shoplifting.  Even with the best employee training and the latest technology, mistakes are still made and persons are still sometimes falsely arrested due to errors in judgment (such as false identification and false interpretation of a situation), cultural related issues, and procedural errors.

Attorney Daniel Hilf, working on your behalf to defend you, will immediately try to obtain all the available discovery which can include the following: police report(s), loss prevention report(s), witness statement(s), in store video(s), police video(s), photograph(s), statement(s) the police and/or loss prevention claims that you made.  You have important rights including the right to have trial in front of a Judge or jury and fight the accusation, or to choose to accept a plea or plea bargain and try and persuade the Judge to be lenient.  It is up to you if you want to try and obtain a plea bargain (an agreement sometimes available with the prosecution to dismiss or reduce the charge(s) against you) and to seek to obtain a favorable sentence agreement (an agreement sometimes available with the Judge and/or prosecutor to impose a specific sentence, such as avoiding or limiting any term of confinement).  

When arrested or ticketed for shoplifting in Clawson, your first important step is to hire an experienced local shoplifting defense lawyer to help you obtain the best possible result for your circumstances.  As previously stated, a shoplifting conviction will likely cause you endless long term life problems in addition to the criminal penalties, including making it extremely hard to find a good job or a dream career, because many companies do not want to risk hiring someone convicted of any type of stealing.  Retain a leading local Clawson defense lawyer - attorney Daniel Hilf - to help you, because he is a widely respected lawyer with over twenty years of experience inside and outside of courtrooms helping individuals like yourself fight for favorable results.  Attorney Hilf's office is located near Clawson, and the 52/4 District Court (Hilf & Hilf, PLC is located at 3155 W Big Beaver Rd #123, Troy, MI 48084).

If you have been ticketed or otherwise accused of shoplifting in Clawson Michigan, now is the time to make the right decision to hire legal representation to properly defend you.   Contact Hilf & Hilf, PLC to defend you from the accusation made against you.