A little while ago a friend of mine did a really dumb thing thinking she could not ask anyone for help. Unfortunately for her she stole about $100 in gift cards from the mail out of cards and used them to buy food. This is a federal offense. I know,i don't know what she was thinking. She said she was going through really rough times but still made a really dumb decision. She said that when she was questioned by the inspector there were no tricks, she knew what she had done and cooperated fully with them. She wrote a statement in her own words with witnesses present. She knew she had done wrong and didn't know how to give restitution and couldn't live without telling someone much longer. Maybe writing the statement was dumb but she said had driven by the police station numerous times to confess but chickened out every time. It was only a matter of time before she did. She is a very good student and is still attending classes but is having a very hard time dealing, so she was referred to the university counselor because the inspector was worried about her. She went and says she will continue going. I will check on her a lot because i am worried about her also. She doesn't know what will happen to her. She can't afford a lawyer and i would pay for one, but neither can i. She hasn't been charged with anything yet because the investigation is ongoing. From what i can gather from her the inspector said that other mail was stolen, but after she confessed to what she did, they were convinced there were other people stealing as well because of some dates it was done on but she is adamant that she has no idea who and they believe her and i do as well. She is scared to death. They took her passport although she is still allowed to work and go to school and she says she had to call the inspector to let him know if she is going to leave the state of georgia or not, she is terrified of what may happen next. She is terrified of jail although the inspector told us he will fight for probation. I got a chance to speak to him briefly and he said that if she had refused to cooperate she would have gone straight to jail and would have had to be bonded out, but with the written statement and her volunteering her passport she would not be arrested but if she tries to flee will then be a fugitive. The odd thing is that the inspector, her boss, the VSU sargeant involved are on her side. The inspector and sargeant both spoke with her boss so she would be able to keep her job, very odd. She was told that she will be called to appear in court in the next thirty days.It is her first offense ever and she says she has learned from her mistake and with more counselling will help her. The way she is acting is as though she's been punishing herself for a while. I noticed her looking different but didn't ask what was wrong. I believe she needs to keep being counselled. So its good she wants to go. Could she really go to jail? If so, for how long? Is there really a way that she could get probation for this offense in all honesty? The way she was talking to me was that she was afraid she would be going to prison forever and will never be able to work anywhere. She is in no state to help herself, if you could shed some light on the possible things that could happen and what should happen next, i would appreciate it. I'd have to find a way to tell her though. I just want her to be ok.