Michael F. Niznik

Under the Pennsylvania Retail Theft statute, 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3929,  a person can be charged with retail theft if that person:

 

 (1)  takes possession of, carries away, transfers or causes to be carried away or transferred, any merchandise displayed, held, stored or offered for sale by any store or other retail mercantile establishment with the intention of depriving the merchant of the possession, use or benefit of such merchandise without paying the full retail value thereof;

 

(2)  alters, transfers or removes any label, price tag marking, indicia of value or any other markings which aid in determining value affixed to any merchandise displayed, held, stored or offered for sale in a store or other retail mercantile establishment and attempts to purchase such merchandise personally or in consort with another at less than the full retail value with the intention of depriving the merchant of the full retail value of such merchandise;

 

(3)  transfers any merchandise displayed, held, stored or offered for sale by any store or other retail mercantile establishment from the container in or on which the same shall be displayed to any other container with intent to deprive the merchant of all or some part of the full retail value thereof; or

 

(4)  under-rings with the intention of depriving the merchant of the full retail value of the merchandise.

 

(5)  destroys, removes, renders inoperative or deactivates any inventory control tag, security strip or any other mechanism designed or employed to prevent an offense under this section with the intention of depriving the merchant of the possession, use or benefit of such merchandise without paying the full retail value thereof.

 

If you or a loved one has been charged with a theft crime, you need the counsel of an experienced criminal defense attorney. In Pennsylvania, theft crimes can range from shoplifting to theft by deception and each charge carries serious penalties if convicted.  If charged with any of the following crimes, contact the Law Office of Michael F. Niznik today. 

 

• Theft

• Retail Theft

• Theft by Deception

• Bad Checks

• Receiving Stolen Property

• Forgery