After drug offenses, theft is Texas’ most common crime, with the cities with the largest populations being hardest hit, that is, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth. In Texas, theft is defined as the unlawful appropriation of an individual’s property with the intent to permanently deprive them of said property.
There’s petty theft, known also as misdemeanor theft, and there’s felony theft. The classification of theft crime and the corresponding penalties vary with the value and type of property or service stolen.
A class C misdemeanor for stolen property under $100 is punishable by a $500 fine. A first-degree felony for a theft exceeding $2,300,000 is punishable by five to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Federal charges and theft
Crimes that have crossed state lines and have, therefore, been committed in multiple states are considered federal crimes, which trigger penalties that tend to be harsher than state penalties.
So it is, as reported by Newsbreak, with a 25-year-old man arrested on March 20 in Lubbock. The young man is alleged to be part of a conspiracy to steal surveying units and other equipment in San Angelo that were later sold on eBay to buyers in Oregon, New York and Utah.
The young man faces charges of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Theft charges can become quite serious quite quickly. If you’ve run afoul of the law, it’s prudent to consult with effective counsel as soon as possible.