Shoplifting Lawyer Oakland County

Need an Experienced Lawyer for a Shoplifting Arrest or Ticket in Oakland County, Michigan?

Having a court date for an Oakland County Michigan shoplifting charge (also known as retail fraud or retail theft) does not make you a bad person.  In fact, shoplifting is a regularly prosecuted offense in Oakland County by State and local prosecutors, but it is often only based upon a single incident due to a momentary lapse in good judgment.  However, just because shoplifting accusations are frequently prosecuted in Oakland County courts, it does not mean that there are not serious consequences or that it will not affect your life in some type of negative manner, because any criminal record for retail theft can have many potential damaging consequences.  The consequences of an Oakland County Michigan retail fraud conviction may include: the loss of your freedom (incarceration); probation with inconvenient, burdensome conditions; loss of employment opportunities; professional licensing issues (for persons with or seeking a professional license); loss of educational opportunities; steep fines and costs; immigration complications (for persons that are not United States citizens); embarrassment, etc.  If you have a court date for a shoplifting charge, you need a top rated locally based criminal defense attorney who will fight to protect you and your way of life.

There are several different theories in which both State and local city prosecutors in Oakland County can allege someone shoplifted: the classic situation when store merchandise is stolen or an attempt to steal store merchandise is made; the price tag of the merchandise is intentionally misrepresented or changed; or merchandise is fraudulently exchanged for money or other store merchandise.  There are a few different criminal shoplifting offenses prosecuted in Oakland County Michigan, including:

First Degree Retail Fraud is a felony offenses that carries up to a five 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 [there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose].  

Organized Retail Theft is felony charge that carries up to a five year maximum prison sentence ,that is also subject to applicable habitual offender sentencing provisions [there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose].  The offense is brought in Oakland County when the alleged intent of the Defendant is to commit a retail fraud and to resell the stolen merchandise to another person or business.

Second Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a one year maximum county jail sentence, 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 [there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose]..  

Third Degree Retail Fraud is a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a ninety three 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) [there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose].

Removal of a Theft Detection Device is a misdemeanor charges that carries up to a one year maximum county jail sentence under State law [there is no mandatory term of incarceration that a Judge must impose].

Hire a Well Respected Oakland County Defense Attorney that Specializes in the Defense of Shoplifting Accusations

Many retail businesses have implemented loss prevention related procedures with the goal of reducing shoplifting losses, reducing insurance costs, avoiding all litigation, and deterring in store theft.  It is not uncommon for a retail businesses to hire trained asset protection personnel and to use theft detection devices with up to date technology (theft detection devices, closed circuit television, etc.) to combat the costs and liabilities associated with shoplifting.  Even with loss prevention technology and employee training, mistakes are still made and persons are still sometimes falsely arrested due to errors in judgment (false identification of a suspect, false interpretation of a situation, etc.), cultural issues, and procedural errors.

The lawyer who you ultimately retain will obtain all the available discovery materials to fully and properly defend the case, 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, etc.  You can decide either fight your case at trial in front of a Judge or jury, or resolve the case through a plea or plea bargain.  Reaching a settlement of your shoplifting accusation may involve a plea bargain (an agreement with the prosecution to dismiss, expunge, or reduce the charge(s) against you) or a sentence agreement (an agreement with the Court [such as a Cobbs or Killebrew agreement] to impose a specific sentence, such as avoiding or limiting any time in confinement).  Before your next Court date, make the best decision for yourself and your family to hire an experienced top tier Oakland County defense attorney to help you obtain the best possible result for your circumstances.  Again, a retail fraud conviction will likely cause you significant problems well into the future, including making it extremely difficult to find a job or establish a great career, because many employers do not want to risk hiring someone convicted of shoplifting.  Retain Oakland County shoplifting defense attorney Daniel Hilf to represent you, because he is an impassioned, zealous, and aggressive criminal defense lawyer with over 20 years of experience inside and outside of courtrooms helping clients obtain great results for shoplifting and other theft accusations.  

If you have been accused of any theft crime, such as shoplifting in Oakland County, it's time to make an impactful decision to contact us right away for outstanding shoplifting defense representation.

Impactful representation for shoplifting cases in Oakland County Michigan includes (but is not limited to) individuals from the following communities:

Cities such as Auburn Hills, Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Clarkston, Clawson, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Fenton, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Keego Harbor, Lake Angelus, Lathrup Village, Madison Heights, Northville, Novi, Oak Park, Orchard Lake Village, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, South Lyon, Southfield, Sylvan Lake, Troy, Walled Lake, and Wixom;

Villages such as  Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Franklin, Holly, Lake Orion, Leonard, Milford, Ortonville, Oxford, and Wolverine Lake;

Townships such as Addison Township, Bloomfield Township, Brandon Township, Commerce Township, Groveland Township, Highland Township, Holly Township, Independence Township, Lyon Township, Milford Township, Novi Township, Oakland Township, Orion Township, Oxford Township, Rose Township, Royal Oak Township, Southfield Township, Springfield Township, Waterford Township, West Bloomfield Township, and White Lake Township;

Unincorporated communities such as Andersonville, Austin Corners, Brandon Gardens, Campbells Corner, Charing Cross, Clintonville, Clyde, Commerce, Davisburg, Drayton Plains, East Highland, Elizabeth Lake, Five Points, Four Towns, Gingelville, Glengary, Goodison, Groveland Corners, Hickory Ridge, Highland, Huron Heights, Jossman Acres, Kensington, Lake Orion Heights, Lakeville, New Hudson, Newark, Oak Grove, Oakley Park, Oakwood, Oxbow, Perry Lake Heights, Rose Center, Rose Corners, Rudds Mill, Seven Harbors, Springfield, Thomas, Union Lake, Walters, Waterford Village, West Highland, and West Acres. 

Shoplifting cases in Oakland County are litigated in the following Courts: 35th District Court (660 Plymouth Road in Plymouth 48170.  A small section of Northville is found within Oakland County, and jurisdiction for these non-juvenile Northville cases are with this Court);  43rd District Court in Ferndale (305 East 9 Mile Road); 43rd District Court in Madison Heights (200 West 13 Mile Road); 43rd District Court in  Hazel Park (43 East 9 Mile Road); 44th District Court (400 East 11 Mile Road in Royal Oak 48068); 45th District Court (13600 Oak Park Boulevard in Oak Park 48237); 46th District Court (26000 Evergreen Road in Southfield 48076); 47th District Court (31605 West 11 Mile Road in Farmington Hills 48336); 48th District Court (4280 Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills 48302); 50th District Court (70 North Saginaw Street in Pontiac 48342); 51st District Court at 5100 Civic Center Drive in Waterford 48329); 52-1st District Court (48150 Grand River Avenue in Novi 48374); 52-2nd District Court (5850 Lorac in Clarkston 48346); 52-3rd District Court (700 Barclay Circle in Rochester Hills 48307); 52-4th District Court (520 West Big Beaver Road in Troy 48084); 6th Circuit Court (1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac 48341).  Your Court location is determined by the location of the alleged offense.  It is very important that you appear at the court with jurisdiction of your case on the date and time scheduled.  It is recommended that you retain Oakland County legal counsel in advance of attending any Court date (if you have the ability to do so).