Crimes Against Property

Arson  Willful and malicious burning of another person’s property.  It’s a crime to burn a building, even by the owner.

Arson  Burning a building to defraud insurance is a separate crime.  Arson has been used for racial violence, now it is sometimes a bigger crime to burn a church than to burn anything else.

Vandalism  Willful destruction of, or damage to, the property of another.  Includes breaking windows, graffiti, taking car hood ornaments, etc.

Larceny  Unlawful taking and carrying away of the property of another person with intent to permanently deprive the owner of it.  Two classes – Grand larceny is larceny of $100 or more (felony). Petty larceny is taking anything under $100 (misdemeanor).

Larceny also includes:  Keeping lost property when a reasonable method exists for finding its owner.  If you find a wallet with ID in it and decide to keep it instead of returning it, that’s larceny.

Shoplifting  A form of larceny.  Taking something from a store without paying or intending to pay for them.  Concealment is attempted shoplifting.

Embezzlement  The unlawful taking of property by someone to whom it was entrusted.  Who do we entrust property to?

Embezzlement  Lawyers, stockbrokers, bank tellers, employees, clergy, etc.

Robbery  The unlawful taking of property from a person’s immediate possession by force or intimidation. Robbery must include theft of property and actual or potential harm to the victim.

Robbery  Would a pickpocket be charged with robbery?

Robbery  No, because there’s no threat of harm or harm.  A pickpocket would be charged with Larceny.

Extortion  Called “Blackmail”  The use of threats to obtain the property of another. Statutes cover threats to do physical harm, destroy property, or injure a person’s character or reputation.

Burglary  Unauthorized entry into a building with intent to commit a crime.  Many states have harsher penalties for burglaries committed at night or with weapons.

Forgery  A person falsely makes or alters a writing or document with intent to defraud.  Usually means signing another person’s name to a check or changing/erasing part of an existing document.

Uttering  Passing onto someone as real a document known to be fake.  If you know a check has been forged, it’s illegal to use it at a store.

Receiving stolen property  Receipt of property that you know or have reason to believe is stolen.  This includes buying out of the trunk of a car or buying at an unreasonably low price.

Carjacking  The use of force or intimidation to steal a car from a driver.  This is a federal crime punishable by up to life in prison.

Computer Crime  Any violation of criminal law that involves the use of computer technology to commit the prohibited act.  Examples: making fake IDs, stealing credit card numbers, Identity theft, spreading viruses to other computers, etc.