1 in 11 Americans (approximately 27 million Americans) – no matter how poor or wealthy they are – takes goods from the store shelves and “forgets” to pay for them. Shoplifting is a national epidemic that’s costing the economy more than $100 million each day, with most criminals getting away: shoplifters say they are caught only once in every 48 times they steal. Meat, razors, baby formula, electronics, cosmetics, alcohol, over-the-counter drugs, and clothes are on the list of the most shoplifted items in the U.S.

And while one can understand the reasons why a person would steal an expensive laptop, it’s simply baffling for most why a college-educated and working individual would risk his or her freedom for a bottle of whiskey. And yet, psychologists have several theories why people engage in this kind of criminal activity without considering the long-term consequences, singling finances, emotional issues, peer pressure, and kleptomania. The typical shoplifter is not the beady-eyed criminal who has it all figured out and plans to make a huge profit off of the stolen items. It turns out, shoplifting is primarily an impulse.

The majority of shoplifters (excluding organized professionals who steal for a living) don’t plan their heists in advance. Getting something for nothing has a greater meaning for the average shoplifter than the value of the stolen item itself: for some it’s a substitute for loss experienced in a recent divorce or accident, for others it’s justified revenge against other people, the government, or big corporations. Many people steal as a relief mechanism for depression, anxiety, boredom, or just to spend their time differently.

Interviewed by Forbes, Dr. Read Hayes from the Loss Prevention Research Council talked about people’s tendency of stealing low-value items: “Most theft is greed, not need. They certainly don’t need the steak, but they talk themselves into self-justifying the behavior. It’s a big corporation; they charge too much; everyone does it.”

Barbara Staib from the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention confirms this theory: “There’s an acceptable level of dishonesty in society. Most shoppers think it’s okay to eat grapes. They think it’s a free sample. But do you see a sign saying you can eat grapes? No. It’s stealing.”

On a larger scale, shoplifting is a serious crime that negatively impacts small and large retailers alike. Losses of tens of billions of dollars – $35 billion per year only in the U.S. – are reported by retailers every year, the economy is constantly burdened by unnecessary costs, and the existence of many stores is continually endangered by shoplifters. In addition to all this, store owners and employees are constantly at risk of having legal action pursued against them, if they decide to adopt measures in order to protect their property rights.

False arrest, humiliation, and similar charges – most often the result of shoplifting prevention efforts – are the reasons why consumers decide to sue store owners. If you feel an injustice has been committed in your case, a criminal defense lawyer with experience in these cases can help clear your name and also receive compensation, if the damages you’ve suffered are notable. Call 773.908.9811 or visit / and fill out a short form with your personal details to schedule an initial consultation.

About the Author Andrew M. Weisberg is a criminal defense attorney in Chicago, Illinois. A former prosecutor in Cook County, Mr. Weisberg is a member of the Capital Litigation Trial Bar, an elite group of criminal attorneys who are certified by the Illinois Supreme Court to try death penalty cases. He is also a member of the Federal Trial Bar. Mr. Weisberg is a solo practitioner at the Law Offices of Andrew M. Weisberg.

Statistically, there’s a good chance that you didn’t buy the pen in your purse or jacket pocket, but took it from work. People take things from work all the time, either intentionally or not. Most don’t really think about such pilfering as theft, rationalizing that it’s one of the “benefits” that come with the job, but there is no ‘de minimis’ requirement for theft – if it’s company property, then it’s not yours to take, be it a pen, money, or anything else of value.

One survey produced by a security company discovered that a whopping 95% of people steal or have stolen from work at some point. An AOL Jobs survey reports, “43 percent of people admitted to taking things from work to keep for personal use.” Every year, theft committed by employeescosts businesses up to about $3.5 trillion dollars. In the long run,that translates into higher prices for consumers, and may be evidence that there are a lot of unhappy people in America’s companies.

From Paper Clips to Diamonds

Most people draw the line at the odd pen, notepad, or binder – they are not adept or committed thievestrying to make extra money from their crimes. However, the activities of some office thieves make common pen pilfering pale in comparison:

• Adrian Rodriguez, the New York law firm employee who was convicted in 2013 of stealing more than $376,000 worth of copy machine toner cartridges, which he then sold on what one prosecutor described as a robust “black market for office supplies” currently flourishing in the city.
• Michael Brooks and Javunte Wheeler were caught red-handed as they were trying to steal $7,500 worth of iPads from a Federal Express storage facility in Chicago by secreting them out under a sweatshirt and tossing them over the facility fence to a waiting car.
• Tiffany’s Vice-President Ingrid Lederhaas-Okun is now serving a year in prison for stealing jewelry worth over $1.3 million dollars from the high-end retailer, which she sold to re-sellers over a two year period.

Why do people steal from their employers?

This is the defense Lederhaas-Okun’s theft attorney presented, arguing that her actions were the result of depression caused by personal problems, such as being unable to bear children and not getting an expected promotion.

But in the eyes of the law, stealing is stealing, whether it’s a diamond necklace worth $10,000 or a box of paperclips. If you’re caught, the penalties can certainly include losing your job and the friendship and respect of your friends and co-workers. But you may also face a range of criminal charges:

• Petty theft: This is the charge if the stolen items are worth less than $500 – $1000. Penalties can range from a fine to jail time.
• Grand Theft: Items worth more than petty theft goods will garner grand theft charges, which can also be ranked as felonies that draw much more severe penalties, including prison time of up to 25 years.

But most people will never have to worry about this. It’s pretty unlikely that the police will follow you to your car when you leave work at 5:00 pm and conduct a body cavity search for a paperclip!

About the Author : Andrew M. Weisberg is a criminal defense attorney in Chicago, Illinois. A former prosecutor in Cook County, Mr. Weisberg,is a member of the Capital Litigation Trial Bar, an elite group of criminal attorneys who are certified by the Illinois Supreme Court to try death penalty cases. He is also a member of the Federal Trial Bar. Mr. Weisberg is a sole practitioner at the Law Offices of Andrew M. Weisberg.

Industry experts estimate the value of organized retail theft industry anywhere between $15 billion and $35 billion per year, but the real economic impact extends beyond the retail and manufacturing industry. Sadly, consumers are the ones ultimately bearing the financial brunt, since stolen merchandise gets resold on the black market or returns right back on department store shelves, wearing heavier price tags.

Experts from the Center of Retail Research have found that households in the United States are forced to pitch in nearly $436 per year and those in Europe $250 to mitigate retailers’ direct revenue losses and supply shortages. If an item is stolen, the value of several others must be increased to compensate the lost value, not to mention that customers are ultimately unable to purchase that item. End consumers are also the ones who end up covering the costs of loss prevention measures, passed along in the form of higher prices on merchandise.

Thieves generally steal popular items they can sell fast, targeting department stores, discounters, music stores, thrift shops and convenience stores. Here are the four most shoplifted products in the United States, according to a recent report from BusinessInsurance.org:

Meat and cheese

Certainly a strange item to stuff into the coat pocket, meat is at the top of the most targeted items by thieves, especially the higher-end specialties such as filet mignon, lamb chops and Certified Angus steaks. Regarding cheeses, shoplifters prefer the more expensive assortments, like parmesan and Swiss cheese.

Razors

Another category of products targeted by kleptomaniacs because they’re easy to steal and have a high resale value are men’s razors. Gillette’s Mach 3 is the most preferred brand.

Cosmetics

Perfume, make-up, hair treatments, teeth-whitening kits, skin creams and tanning lotions are the cosmetic products most taken and not paid for, since most of them are small enough to be easily hidden inside purses and pockets. Expensive products such as Rogaine, Bumble and bumble, RoC, Oil of Olay, CoverGirl and Chanel are most preferred by brand-conscious thieves, causing annual losses of up to 2%.

Alcohol

The more expensive and popular the brand, the more chances it has to disappear from the store shelves. Whisky, vodka and rum-basic liquors such as Jameson and Hennessy Cognac are amongst the most targeted, as well as Grey Goose vodka, Crystal Head vodka and Vue champagne, which have to be kept under lock and key to be rescued from pilfering hordes.

Shoplifting is theft and is considered a criminal offense, regardless of the value of the items stolen. On the other hand, the charges and penalties are determined by the amount and cost of merchandise someone steals. For items between $200 and $500, the offense is considered a misdemeanor (petty theft), whereas stealing items with a value exceeding $500 can get an individual charged with felony (grand larceny or grand theft).

If you have been caught shoplifting, you should immediately seek the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney to have the charges reduced to a misdemeanor. Aside from the value of the stolen items, a theft charge is determined by other factors as well, including your criminal record, whether you identified yourself when you were caught or your history of retail theft incidents. A specialized theft lawyer will examine possible defenses and negotiate with the prosecutor to have your charges dismissed, ensuring the successful conclusion of your case.

About the Author Andrew M. Weisberg is a criminal defense attorney in Chicago, Illinois. A former prosecutor in Cook County, Mr. Weisberg is a member of the Capital Litigation Trial Bar, an elite group of criminal attorneys who are certified by the Illinois Supreme Court to try death penalty cases. He is also a member of the Federal Trial Bar. Mr. Weisberg is a solo practitioner at the Law Offices of Andrew M. Weisberg.

For most Americans, Christmas presents are found in Santa Claus’s generous bag or, at least, in the wallets of their friends and family. Some people, however, decide to take matters into their own hands and simply steal the goods they want to find under the tree on Christmas Eve.

One in every eleven people who walk through the doors of a store is likely to walk out with at least one item they didn’t pay for. Most offenders are amateurs who simply can’t afford the items they desire and don’t take enough precaution measures. 75 percent of those caught are adults with jobs and most of them (70 percent) confess their crimes are ones of opportunity, by simply letting themselves give in to temptation. Only 3 percent of shoplifters are professionals who have a plan and put the items up for resale.

According to the Global Retail Theft Barometer for 2011, the merchandise stolen from stores in the four weeks leading up to Christmas exceeded $1.8 billion, a 6% increase from the previous year. On top of the stolen items list are not laptops or iPhones, like in past years, but delicatessen such as filet mignon, the “luxury meat” whose loss rate has increased by 21 percent in the past years. Alcohol comes in second, accounting for 2.9 percent of the stolen merchandise in the U.S., followed by electric tools, such as toothbrushes and power tools, as well as gadgets, perfumes and clothing items.

The Cost of Retail Theft

Retail theft, including loss of inventory, organized retail crime or employee fraud, cost retailers more than $112 billion worldwide between 2012 and 2013. Shoplifting remains the highest cause of retail loss. According to a recent study that surveyed 157 companies covering 160,000 stores, the highest shoplifting rates were reported in Mexico and Brazil – 1.5% of the $1.5 trillion generated in sales in 2012, closely followed by the United States and China at 1.5 percent. Australia and Japan had the lowest rates.

A plausible reason for the increased rate of retail theft is that the down economy drives customers to buy less and steal more. Regardless of the desperate attitude of most retailers and huge discounts on almost every product, there still are plenty kleptomaniacs walking through the malls. Most theories explain the phenomenon by mentioning the slow economic recovery and higher theft rates in organized retail crime. At the same time, retailers have started investing in loss prevention methods and equipment, working with technology companies to find effective loss management solutions for such a widespread phenomenon.

When to Seek Legal Help

Retail theft charges are serious accusations. They can range from a simple misdemeanor to felony charges depending on the value of the stolen item and the history of previous retail theft charges, punishable by one year or 1-3 years in jail, respectively. There are also tremendous implications for the arrestee, whose chances of accessing future employment and applying for a professional license will be significantly affected by a conviction for retail theft.

An experienced criminal defense attorney can help the offender dismiss a conviction or at least have the charges reduced and avoid prison terms. He can help prepare the case and prove to the court the theft was accidental, convincing the prosecutors to drop the charges and to allow you to rehabilitate your image in the community.

About the Author Andrew M. Weisberg is a criminal defense attorney in Chicago, Illinois. A former prosecutor in Cook County, Mr. Weisberg,is a member of the Capital Litigation Trial Bar, an elite group of criminal attorneys who are certified by the Illinois Supreme Court to try death penalty cases. He is also a member of the Federal Trial Bar. Mr. Weisberg is a sole practitioner at the Law Offices of Andrew M. Weisberg.

Police were called to a Chicago area computer store when a 31-year-old man attempted to buy electronics items and a computer with a fraudulent credit card. According to the police reports, the card that the man was using had been reported as stolen. The man is now facing charges for attempted theft, theft, attempted fraud, fraud, and counterfeiting. In addition to the attempted purchases at the computer store, court records indicate that the man had made several other purchases using the card at various stores throughout the Chicago area.

The Chicago judicial system takes charges of theft very seriously. If you have been arrested, your lawyer will review your case and attempt to build the best possible defense. At the Law Offices of Andrew M. Weisberg, Mr. Weisberg has had a successful track record in defending Chicago theft cases similar to yours. Contact the Law Offices of Andrew M. Weisberg today to ensure that you have an aggressive ally on your side who will fight for your rights and your best interests.

No matter how straightforward or complex your charges, Andrew M. Weisberg is a Chicago theft lawyer known for tough, aggressive defense. A former felony prosecutor, Attorney Weisberg has extensive experience in handling all types of criminal cases, from sex offenses and violent crimes to theft-related crimes and traffic violations. To contact Mr. Weisberg, visit / or call his cell phone 24/7 at (773) 908-9811 or Text LAWYER to 25827 for prompt call back. The consultation is free.