Recently, my office has been hired by several clients to represent them for possession or trafficking stolen property.
Arizona treats stolen property as very serious charges
It is critical that when you are purchasing used items from Craigslist, garage sales or at swap meet, you do everything you can ensure you are purchasing non-stolen, legitimate items.
Age Old Saying Could Save You from a Felony Charge
Courts use a reasonable person standard to determine whether a person should be charged with possession of stolen property. It is not enough for you to not know that the items, you purchased, were stolen. The general rule of the thumb of, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” is a good to follow when purchasing used items. This age old adage means, if you are purchasing jewelry at a fraction of the price it would be sold at the local jewelry shop, then the court may find you should have know it was stolen. Or you should have taken added precautions to ensure it wasn’t stolen. Don’t believe people when they tell you that they are hard pressed for money and are looking to sell their things for cheap.
In Arizona, there have been recent stings to identify stolen property rings. Although you may have innocently purchased property, not thinking it was stolen, the courts will apply a reasonable person standard and will charge you with a felony. If you are convicted of a stolen property felony, whether it’s possession or trafficking, you will go to prison and spend the rest of your life with a felony conviction.
Free Consultation to Help You Fight
The attorneys at my office understand that bad things happened to good people. Let us argue on your behalf to the court that you are innocent of these charges. The lawyers at my office are available to discuss your case for free and look forward to showing you how we can beat your charges.
Author Bio
Matthew L. Lopez
Matthew L. Lopez is the Managing Attorney and founder of Matthew Lopez Law, a criminal defense and DUI firm serving clients throughout Arizona. His track record of case dismissals and charge reductions has earned him honors, including a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 nomination, a “Superb” 10/10 Avvo rating, and a Rising Star designation by Super Lawyers.
Matthew is a member of the National College for DUI Defense and holds active memberships with the Arizona Association for Criminal Justice and the Arizona Association for Justice. His firm handles criminal defense, DUI, drug charges, and traffic offenses, offering free consultations and affordable payment plans to make quality defense accessible to all Arizonans.
