Defending Against Property Crimes in New York City

In New York, property crimes involve a variety of charges that relate to criminal activities that impact property belonging to someone else. A property crime can be as simple as vandalizing or stealing someone’s property, or as complicated and serious as receiving stolen property in a theft ring. The major and most commonly seen charges include arson, burglary, larceny, robbery and trespassing. If the value of damaged or stolen property surpasses a certain threshold, the charge can then be increased to the next level, which could bring a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony.

Having a misdemeanor on your record is vastly different from having a felony on there. Felonies can impact nearly every aspect of your life, making it significantly more difficult to find housing and employment for the rest of your life and it could have grave immigration consequences resulting in deportations and removals. Therefore, it is critical that you have an experienced New York City property crimes attorney to fight for your rights and obtain the best possible outcome.

Here are explanations for some of the most commonly seen property offense charges:

Arson involves the act of setting fire to a building or property without consent from the owner. When charges are brought forth, authorities will consider the type of property burned, its value, and whether there was potential for harm to others during the act.

Burglary and breaking and entering occurs when a person commits a crime in a building they have unlawfully entered or remained in the building with intent of committing a crime inside. In New York, there does not have to be a theft in order for burglary charges to be filed.

Larceny is stealing of another’s property where there is no force used. The charge is a petit larceny and a misdemeanor when the value of the property is less than one thousand dollars. If the value of property stolen is more than one thousand dollars the charge becomes grand larceny which is a felony. In NY there are four categories for grand larceny depending on the value stolen. Generally Grand Larceny in Fourth Degree is when value exceeds one thousand dollars and is a Class E Felony; Grand Larceny in Third Degree is when value exceeds three thousand dollars and is a Class D Felony; Grand Larceny in Second Degree is when the value exceeds fifty thousand dollars and is a Class C Felony; and finally Grand Larceny in First Degree is when the value of the property exceeds one million dollars and is considered a Class B Felony.

Robbery is forcible stealing of someone’s property. It becomes a more serious charge in cases where the stealing involves a deadly weapon, or dangerous instrument, or when in the course of the crime another individual not participating in the crime is injured. New York State divides robbery in three categories which are: First Degree, which is a Class B Felony; Second Degree, which is a Class C Felony; and Third Degree, which is Class D Felony. A robbery charge being a felony has the potential to change your life considering it is considered a violent crime and is taken very seriously.

Trespassing oftentimes occurs when people fail to consider the ramifications of walking onto someone else’s property without their permission because it seems harmless to commit an act that does little to no harm. If no other criminal behavior transpires, one can get off with a small fine. However, if there are other criminal factors at play, the charges can be far more serious.

Due to the quantity of circumstantial evidence at play, and the wiggle room that affords, cases such as these could typically be highly defensible. Having a knowledgeable NYC property crimes attorney on your side will help to build the strongest defense.

When charged with a property offense, you can benefit immensely from the services of an experienced NYC property crimes attorney. Based in New York City, Maryam Jahedi Law Firm P.C. serves the NYC-metro region, including Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Jahedi Law your premier New York property crimes lawyer solution. We provide legal counsel for traditional crimes, white collar crimes and post-conviction representations. Call our New York City law offices at (646) 798-7118 for a free telephone consultation, or contact us online.