Organized Retail Theft

Protecting Your Rights When You Face Serious Charges

Organized retail theft in Arizona is a serious charge and can result in a permanent felony conviction, prison sentence or lengthy term of probation.

How Arizona Law Classifies Organized Retail Theft

Organized retail theft can be committed in two ways:

By removing merchandise from a retail establishment without paying the purchase price with the intent to resell or trade the merchandise for money or for other value
By using an artifice, instrument, container, device or other article to facilitate the removal of merchandise from a retail establishment without paying the purchase price

If you face organized retail theft charges in Arizona, you need to contact an aggressive attorney as soon as possible.

Experience In Defending Against A Wide Array Of Charges

At Lane, Hupp, & Crowley, PLC, we have defended numerous individuals against organized retail theft charges. Our lawyers have almost 40 years of combined experience representing individuals facing criminal charges across Arizona. We know how to protect your rights in cases of retail theft and other theft crimes and know when law enforcement has crossed the line.

Organized Retail Theft: Two Common Scenarios

We often see someone charged with organized retail theft charges in two scenarios.

The first category is when someone gets caught shoplifting from a store and police later determine that the person is reselling the items. Given the considerable number of places to sell items online (eBay, Craigslist, Offerup, Facebook marketplace), police often search these online marketplaces for evidence of the stolen items offered for sale. They then use a variety of surveillance and investigation tactics to link those postings to a specific individual.

The other category of retail theft charges occurs when someone uses something like a bag to conceal an item they have shoplifted. For example, we have seen circumstances where someone shoplifted or attempted to shoplift a $40 item. However, because they put it in a bag to conceal it, the individual faces felony charges (organized retail theft) instead of a misdemeanor (theft or shoplifting).

Using a bag certainly doesn’t mean that someone who steals a $40 item deserves a felony on their record forever. For this reason, you need to contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer if you face organized retail theft charges.

Consult With Our Skilled Lawyers

Our lawyers have successfully argued or negotiated with prosecutors in cases like the ones described above to have the charges dropped or reduced to a misdemeanor.