Generally speaking, robbery is any unauthorized taking of another’s property without their consent with the intent to permanently deprive them of said property. Robbery covers a broad range of crimes including stealing from a place of commerce (shoplifting), one’s place of business (employee robbery and embezzlement), car robbery, car jacking, burglary, larceny, robbery, fraud, and more. Fraud, typically a white collar crime, is the act of intentionally deceiving another person to gain something at their expense. Identity robbery, whereby a criminal steals the identity of an unwitting consumer in order to obtain financial gain, is a rampant white collar crime affecting millions of people in the United States every year.

The crime of robbery varies based on the context of the robbery, the location of the crime, the value of the goods stolen, and other specifics. In general, there are two classifications of robbery, based on the value of goods stolen, recognized by the criminal justice system: petty robbery and grand robbery. The exact value of goods at which a petty robbery becomes grand robbery varies from court to court. If aggravating circumstances were relevant to the crime or the value of stolen goods exceeds the statutory amount, the crime may be increased to a felony grand robbery charge.

A felony robbery charge is considered a serious offense which is punishable by more than one year of incarceration. In general, robbery crimes involving the threat or use of force and/or a weapon are considered felony offenses. While white collar crimes are typically non-violent crimes, this type of robbery is often regarded as a felony crime. In addition to serving jail or prison time upon conviction of a robbery crime, the offender may also be required to pay a fine, serve a probation or parole term, perform community service, and more. A person who commits robbery against another is often required to compensate the victim for their losses and suffering.

Robbery crimes cause significant damages to individuals, businesses, government, and society as a whole. Shoplifting, for example, costs businesses at least $16 billion dollars every year. Each family in the United States pays an additional $300 per year in elevated prices to help subsidize this cost. The Bureau of National Affairs estimates that employee robbery costs businesses as much as $25 billion annually. Identity robbery is a white collar crime which has become a widespread problem in our country and abroad. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that identity robbery costs consumers more than $60 billion each year.

For these costs to society and many other reasons, courts tend to take robbery crimes very seriously. Because robbery crimes and their penalties vary greatly based on the type of offense and the jurisdiction, a person who is charged with robbery would do best to contact a qualified and experienced attorney in their area about the specifics of their case. If you would like to learn more about robbery defense, please contact us.

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