Can You Be Charged With Shoplifting if You Never Touch the Merchandise

A retail employee printed a duplicate receipt for an item that was purchased by a customer. The employee took the receipt to another worker, and asked for a return. The return was authorized by the other cashier and cleared by a manager, despite the employee's not having the item at the time of the return. Can the employee be charged with shoplifting even though the employee never possessed the item that was the subject of the return?

A number of criminal charges would be possible on those facts, including some potential felony charges. There is no question that a crime occurred, so it becomes a matter of what charge the prosecutor in the employee's state decides to be most appropriate.