What are the consequences of stealing a customer’s personal property?
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What are the consequences of stealing a customer’s personal property?
I took a backpack from where i work. It was left behibd by a customer had a $100 and an Ipod in it. The customer came back the next day and filed a police report. I did not tell them that I took it. I told them someone else came and claimed it as their own. What are the potential consequences?
Asked on September 22, 2010 under Criminal Law, New York
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
The consequences are you could be arrested for having committed theft and possibly also for providing false information to the police. Depending on the exact circumstances and the exact value of everything, one or both of these issues could rise to the level of a felony; at a minimum, you could be convicted of misdomeanors. In addition, the owner could sue you for the value of what you took. So you could face jail time, a police record, and monetary losses.
You should consider coming clean, but you first should retain and discuss matters with an attorney (a criminal defense lawyer) before doing anything. Let an experienced lawyer guide you in what to do and how best to do it. Good luck.
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