Articles Posted in Theft Crimes

Theft can cover just about anything, but as a quick article in the Orlando Sentinel shows, this theft had a distinct Florida flair to it…

In nearby Winter Haven, Florida local resident Brad Reiter is accused of a most unusual crime.  Think of the plot of Ocean’s 11 but with more vitamin C.

State agricultural investigators are claiming that Reiter unlawfully took over 4 million pounds of oranges and other citrus.  These fruits came at an estimated loss of over half a million dollars!

The agricultural commissioner held a press conference in which he explained the details of the grand theft crime.  Brad Reiter entered into at least three contracts to harvest citrus groves back in March, 2014.

The grove owners clearly did not do their research as it turned out that the suspect was not even a licensed citrus dealer!  That didn’t stop him from harvesting all of the oranges and grapefruits from the groves.

The scurvy-resistant thief made off with over 50,000 boxes full of fruit without paying for it.  The estimated amount of the stealing?  Over $530,000!

The unlucky suspect was booked into Polk County Jail on first degree larceny and fraud charges.  At the time of this writing he did not yet have a criminal defense attorney

LEGAL ANALYSIS

Grand Theft is found under Florida Statute 812.014.  Because the amount that allegedly was taken was over $100,000, this would be a first degree theft, punishable by up to 30 years in prison!  This does not even take the separate felony fraud cases into consideration.

Common sense will tell you that many times prosecutors are willing to reduce prison time or even agree to probation if the defendant pays back restitution.  In this case what was stolen were perishable items.  These are not stolen goods that can just be returned and almost certainly the defendant did not sell all the citrus.  This means a lot of the fruit he stole became spoiled and worthless.  Any fruit he managed to sell would probably not cover the over half a million dollars in loss.  In other words, unless he happens to have hundreds of thousands of dollars ready for restitution, he is almost certainly looking at a lengthy prison stay.

Finally, if he had attempted to resell any of this fruit, the state can add second degree felony charges of dealing in stolen property to him.

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Abreaking story from BayNews9.  The suspect is innocent until proven guilty but if true, this is a horrendous crime.  People in a position of trust need to be held accountable for taking advantage of the elderly and others who can no longer defend themselves.

For the daughter of a patient at Access Adult Family Care Home on 38th avenue in Saint Petersburg, the news went from bad to worse.  She had just found out her elderly mother passed away at the home in late May.  Bedridden, she had spent her last few weeks in the home, never venturing out.  That was the story the daughter believed until she opened her mother’s credit card bill and noticed over 20 charges worth over $2,000 in May.  The credit card was used in restaurants, department stores and gas stations among other places- things that a bedridden woman would not spend money on.

Based on the charges, the daughter went to many of the locations, viewing security footage.  What she found broke her heart.  The videos showed Matos Infante, the owner of the facility, using the stolen credit card!  She reported this to the police who started their own investigation, eventually finding 10 other nursing home victims of either credit card fraud or identity theft.

Things not to do after being discharged from the hospital: skip out on the bill and skip out with an ambulance!

Meet 29-year-old Ross Crampton. He was transported to Silver Cross hospital after barricading himself in his house in suburban Chicago. At the end of an all-day standoff with the police, Ross was sent to the hospital for a psychological evaluation.

Per the police, Crampton was discharged from the hospital at 5 a.m. Rather then call a friend or Uber, he did the least logical thing possible. The man hopped into an ambulance and sped away.

Officials eventually noticed the vehicle was missing and the GPS located it three miles way at a friend of the suspect’s house. Police were clearly not amused.

Crampton was arrested outside the house and charged with grand theft auto, a third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to five years in prison. He was taken into custody where he remains in jail.
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Breaking news from ABC news where 90’s rapper/celebrity turned reality TV star Vanilla Ice (real name Robert Van Winkle) was arrested for burglary in Florida.

The former musician, who rose to fame with his single “Ice, Ice Baby” was bonded out of Palm Beach County jail after being arrested for burglary and grand theft.

Mr. Ice was quick to deny that his arrest had anything to do with his reality TV show “The Vanilla Ice project” and claimed that the whole situation was blown out of proportion.

Per the Palm Beach police, Vanilla was arrested due to a burglary in December near a house that he was renovating. Several of the missing items, such as a pool heater and furniture, were found on Vanilla’s property and later returned.

Police are saying that the ex-rapper is cooperative and as of this writing, it is unknown if the stolen property was part of his construction show.

Vanilla has had a few prior run ins with the law including arrests for domestic violence, drug possesion and driving on a suspended license. These new charges are very serious. The grand theft is a third degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. The burglary can be punishable by up to life depending on how it is charged.
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Bay News 9 has a brief write up about recent events in Tampa that sound like a great Lethal Weapon montage scene…

Two seperate police pursuits in Tampa with two stolen vehicles equal four grand theft auto arrests yesterday.

Per police reports, four theft suspects were seen stealing a Lexus in South Tampa. Police attempted to stop the suspects but they fled with the police in pursuit.

At the same time a Jeep that was stolen out of St. Petersburg ended up along Adamo drive in Hillsborough.

Facing hot pursuit, the Lexus crashed near 34th and Adamo. Moments later, the jeep had a roll over on 50th and Adamo!

The final kicker? As police were still securing the scene an unrelated driver, in a work truck, crashed into a cruiser as he was distracted by the lights. The man was found to be intoxicated and was arrested for DUI.

Besides the aforementioned driving under the influence, police also charged four of the men with auto theft and the two drivers with fleeing and eluding as well as multiple traffic infractions.

As of this writing, one theft suspect is in the hospital and three others remain in jail.
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From a local CBS news affiliate, a NFL running back was arrested for shoplifting under $500 in small items in a department store.

Running back Joseph Randle was arrested by store security in a Dallas store for the theft of underwear and cologne.

“The items that were stolen were underwear and cologne,” Lt. Jason Jenkins told a radio station. This seemed to be confirmed by online gossip site TMZ which reported that the Cowboy had allegedly stolen Gucci cologne, as well as a pair of Polo underwear. At least this shoplifter is a classy sort.

A local sports station confirmed that the NFL player cooperated and did not attempt to run. He was booked into the Frisco City Detention Center and released early the next morning on bail.

Ironically, this man can definitely afford underwear and cologne. The reserve running back is making just under $500,000 this year and is signed to a four-year, $2.35 million dollar contract! He just had his best game of the year, rushing for over 50 yards on just 5 carries. As far as any discipline coming from his team or the NFL, at the time of this writing there has been no word.

LEGAL ANALYSIS

Unlike Texas, in Florida there are only two types of misdemeanors and three types of felony charges for theft. Theft charges can be found under Florida Statute 812.014.

Depending on the value of the items stolen and/or any prior theft convictions for Mr. Randle in Florida this case could be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony. If this was his first theft offense and the items were worth under $300 (as seems likely), this would be a mere misdemeanor. If the items were worth over $300 or he has prior theft convictions, it is possible that the shoplifting would be elevated to a third-degree felony. That is punishable by up to five years prison!

If Mr. Randle has no priors, he would seem to be a prime candidate for a Florida pre-trial intervention program (“PTI”). This would consist of a series of things he would have to do (such as community service and a shoplifter’s awareness class) that if succesfull, his charges would be dismissed.

As for now, it will be interesting to see what decision he makes and how it affects his professional future.
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From the BayNews9 website, a local teacher is facing felony charges after going on an alcohol binge…

30-year-old Keesha Graham will not want to bring this up at her next show-and-tell. The St. Petersburg second-grade teacher was arrested by police after what witnesses call “an alcohol-fueled rampage”.

Clearwater police arrested Ms. Graham for burglary and disorderly intoxication after Ms. Graham was walking in and out of traffic and trying to enter a locked vehicle (a potential burglary of a conveyance charge). Police told her to leave the location but she had other ideas…

The intoxicated teacher later walked into a home on Gulfview Boulevard uninvited and police were called after the homeowner asked her to leave.

The suspect refused to leave and sat down on the homeowner’s couch. With that police finally had enough and arrested the defendant.

Ms. Graham is (was?) a teacher at John Sexton Elementary School and parental outcry was quick. One of the parents interviewed by Bay News 9 was shocked that the events occurred and was grateful that this did not happen at the school.

“Your children are supposed to be everything to you and you’re sending them to the most safest place that you think during the day and then you find out stuff like this,” the shocked parent said. “It just makes you wonder.”

As of this writing Ms. Graham has been released on $5,100 bond and charges are pending.

FLORIDA LEGAL ANALYSIS

The disorderly intoxication is a misdemeanor but the burglary of a dwelling, Florida Statute 810.02, is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. What makes it worse for Ms. Graham is that because the house was occupied, the charge is now a “PBL” or punishable by life!

It is obviously too early to know what may happen with these charges. Based on just the report, it sounds like Ms. Graham was not attempting to commit a crime when she went into the stranger’s home. If that is correct, the state may be better off filing a trespass charge instead.

This is one of those cases where it is vital to have a criminal defense attorney on this case before charges are filed. A burglary defense attorney would be able to talk with the state before charges are filed and perhaps convince them to lessen these serious cases.

No matter what becomes of this case, the defendant has already suffered embarrassment and possibly the loss of her employment. The last thing she needs is a prison sentence for what appears to be a bad mistake.
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The holidays are fast approaching and with them comes an increase in car burglaries. A guest blogger was kind enough to give us tips in how to avoid being a crime statistic this season.

More than ever, car theft is becoming more and more prevalent. Many societies view cars as an indication of someone’s status. Because of this, cars are regarded as a luxurious commodity. Many dishonest people and organized crime rings make their living through stealing cars. However, there are simple tips that you can employ to lower the chances of your car being stolen. Here are a few of them:

Park In Well Lit Areas

Whenever you are out with your car, park in a well it area as much as possible. Furthermore, if you can park in an area with a lot of foot traffic, the odds of your car being broken into decrease dramatically. Stealing a car, depending on the skill of the thief, may involve tools and maneuvering. That is why thieves like dark and deserted places since they have a bigger window of opportunity when it comes to stealing your car.

Car Security

Whenever you can, purchase a security system for your car. You have already invested a lot of money purchasing a vehicle. The next logical step is to increase its security as much as you can. Car security systems come in a wide range of prices, features and uses. You will have no problem finding something that will be right for your budget and situation. An expensive and advanced car security system is able to monitor the position of your vehicle at all times through GPS.

Furthermore, once you report your vehicle as stolen, part of the security system is triggered and relays the position of the vehicle to the police immediately.

Secure Your Car Garage

Have a garage? Well then use it! It is always best that you have a closed garage for your vehicle. This can significantly lower the chances of a luxury car being stolen. If you do not have a closed garage, then you can install motion sensor lights in your house. Once you have properly installed these lights, they will automatically light up whenever it detects motion. These lights will lower the chances of your car being stolen.

Do Not Leave A Running Car

Never leave your car running even if you are only planning of leaving it for a short time. This is a perfect opportunity for car thieves since it will only take a couple of seconds for them to leave with your car. This usually happens in convenience stores, ATM’s and gasoline stations.

Do Not Leave Valuables

Leaving valuables in your car is a big no! This will only give additional reasons for a car thief to run off with your car. You will also be preventing your car being broken into, if not entirely stolen, by following this simple tip.

Make Sure You Locked The Doors

This tip might sound very obvious, but make sure that you double check that you have locked your car doors. Statistics have shown that a good number of cars being stolen are due to the car doors being unlocked.

Completely Shut The Windows

Some people have a bad habit of opening a few inches of their car windows. Do not do this; you are simply making the job of a car thief easier.

Author bio – Bradley Taylor is a freelance UK writer who writing about all aspects of the automotive industry. You can connect with Bradley on Twitter and Google+.
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While the president and congress go back and forth in Washington over the spending bill and the national debt ceiling, many worry that this standstill in the nation’s capital will begin to have a host of unintended effects on the American public. Some of these are already coming to light as in the highly publicized case of Michelle Langbehn who’s clinical trial to treat her rare form of sarcoma was put on hiatus due to the impasse. While we have already begun to see some of the immediate consequences of the shutdown, some worry that the longer it continues the likelihood of increased crime becomes more of a reality.

While the 1995 shutdown lasted 21 days (from December 15th to January 6th) the American economy was in an arguably much better state than it is now. Advancements in technology and a nearly 2% climb in unemployment rates create a fertile ground for an amplification in criminal activity.

As we grow ever closer to that October 17th date when America may officially hit the debt ceiling and defaulting on our national debt becomes a reality, criminal defense attorneys recognize that the plausibility for fraud, identity theft and mortgage crime may escalate (especially at the federal level) as criminals perceive that there will be less government oversight and as a result, an increased likelihood that they will be able to get away with their misconduct.

Florida criminal defense attorney John P. Contini warns of the long term ramifications of the shutdown,

“Unfortunately, this isn’t just a political battle between President Obama and the Republican leadership, or one over healthcare. Criminals out there will see this as an opportunity to exploit government programs like food stamps believing that no one will be watching. That’s what criminals do.”

The impact that the shutdown will have on legal services is highly contingent on the duration. Washington legal firms have already noted a slowdown in things like subpoenas or Inspector General Investigations, two areas that drive a lot of billable hours to certain sectors of the law industry.

This situation becomes further compounded when you begin to consider the significance of the time tested theory of supply and demand. Where there is deficiency there is of course opportunity. As firms that work closely with government entities come to an impasse of their own, some private defense lawyers have been left to fill in the gaps where no specific industry expertise is necessarily needed.

While this may initially seem like a good thing for firms who were already struggling to meet financial targets during the final quarters of 2013, this ultimately leaves a shortage at the end of the hypothetical law food chain. As private defense lawyers become more and more involved in these sorts of scenarios, your everyday average Joe seeking run of the mill legal help may begin to feel the pressure of the shutdown.

This coupled with the potential for increased crime has many wondering what sort of residual effects the United States is facing as congress and the president continue struggle to arrive at an agreed upon spending bill.

About the author: Eli Murphy is an editor who works with AbacusLaw.
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