Printable View
A man in New York purchased a brand new MacBook from a seller on Craigslist. Two months later, the police have contacted him and have told him that the computer is stolen and must be turned in. They indicate that the computer was taken in an armed robbery. Will the man get in trouble when he gives the computer to the police? Is there any chance that he'll get the $800 back that he paid for the computer?
Although I can make no promises, if this was a robbery and he were a suspect, I don't think that the police would be so casual about having him stop by at his convenience to drop off the computer. He's much more likely to create legal problems for himself by not turning in the computer. To be safe, he should get together whatever information he has about the seller and his payment for the computer -- the ad, if available, a canceled check, the seller's phone number, a description of the seller, the place where the sale occurred, etc.
Unfortunately, when you buy stolen property, you very often end up out of luck -- criminals don't give refunds, and even if the robber is found and convicted there's no guarantee that he'll be able to pay on a restitution order. New MacBooks start at $1299, so that of itself should have been a giant red flag -- if somebody has a brand new MacBook that he or she does not want, they can return it for a refund rather than selling it at a huge loss, and they can surely get more than $800 for it.