Costco Retail Fraud

[xmrcivicboix]

Hello friends, I just recently committed a retail fraud at Costco. I took a PSP from them but they didn't find the 2 hard drives that I put in my other pocket. They only saw the PSP. Anyways, when I got to the police station, the cop searched me and found the 2 hard drives and I told him I also took that. He took down my finger prints, etc.. I also gave Costco my social security # (bad move should have said I don't know by heart). One of the guy that caught me said that his surveilance tape saw me in the Costo 2 weeks prior and he said I stole 2 of these PSP which I didn't. However, I kinda slip when I said one of my friend happened to successfully stole one at another Costco but I gave the police a fake person's name (no last name just first). My question is, for an first offense, what kind of punishment will I get? Can you all give me a little bit of advise? Thanks a bunch.

Total cost of stuff is about $700

[Dontshoplift]

For $700 I'd get a lawyer.

[xmrcivicboix]

Thanks for the reply. For $700 with a lawyer, what kind of trouble am I looking at?

[Mr. Knowitall]

Are you a juvenile or adult?

[xmrcivicboix]

I'm an adult 23 yrs old first offense. With a good attorney, do you think I can get it exponged without any record because I fear for future job seeking. BTW, anyone know a good attorney for this particular case in Southfield, Michigan?

Thanks

[Mr. Knowitall]

This is the first time you've been caught? With the conduct you describe, I would think you would have priors.

Michigan permits you to apply for expungement after a five year waiting period, if you have only a single conviction on your adult criminal record. If you have more than one conviction you cannot qualify. (There are some offenses which don't ever qualify for expungement, but retail fraud isn't one of them.)

Talk to a lawyer about whether the local court offers a diversion program, or some other way to avoid a conviction. (A possible lawyer.)

[xmrcivicboix]

yes this is my FIRST time getting caught with retail fraud. My first time arrested was for a fight when I was 17 and I was in a program called Home Youthful Training which I completed and my record won't be found with the job market. The second time was when I was 21 I think when friends and I were driving and some of them were drunk and decide to do a Smash & Grab from hobbytown which I was exempt because I was just a long for the ride. My friends had to do 1 day of trash picking and I get to go home because at the time I was on probation for the Home Youthful Training so I cannot be charge or else I could end up in jail. My attorney was able to get me off without any records because I was just along for the ride. This time is when I stole stuff from Costco which I'm pretty nervous about because is my first time being caught.

[aaron]

Your probation officer will likely see your entire record, particularly if all of these offenses occurred in the same county, when making a sentencing recommendation.

You received HYTA on your first offense, got a huge break on your second, and yet you still haven't made the decision to abstain from criminal activity? If this is in fact your first recorded conviction, that's a huge break in itself as you will probably qualify for expungement after the waiting period has passed. But if you get caught for something else, you won't qualify.

[xmrcivicboix]

I believe my 1st conviction was in Oakland County then it got transfered to Flint because I lived there for a period of 2 yrs and completed my probation up there. The second offense was in Gennesse County. This one is in Oakland County. BTW, I highly doubt I will be doing anything unlawful ever again! Kinda of scary to think of it now. <-- stupid choice and now I have to live to see what's next.

[LP1186]

I cannot tell you much about what will happen in court because i'm not a legal expert, but i work loss prevention so i can tell you that when the agent told you he had seen you stealing two PSPs on video at another time, even though you hadn't, he was probably doing this to try to get more information out of you. The police/ loss prevention can use deception when conduction investigations. It is not a violation of your rights. I am suprised though that they did not find the two harddrives in the store. Our policy is to have the shoplifter remove everything from their pockets. This has two purposes: 1) retrieve other merchandise they may have on them that we didn't see (yes most of the time they do have more merchandise on them) and 2) to help ensure our saftey. if they have a knife or something we do not want them pulling it out and trying to uses it on us.