AGGRESSIVE Legal Defense Against Robbery Charges

The state of Pennsylvania defines robbery as one’s property that is forcibly taken or removed by another through coercion, physical threats, or bodily injury and harm. This definition also includes individuals who forcibly take money from a financial institution without the institution’s permission. Essentially, it is committing the act of theft while threatening force against another person.

Robbery charges in Pennsylvania range from third to first-degree felonies, and the penalties for these crimes are characteristically steep. For example, a first-degree felony charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and maximum fines as high as $50,000. However, these penalties quickly compound if you are convicted of other charges as well.

In Pennsylvania, a burglary is defined as “the entering of a building or structure with the intent to commit a crime, unless the premises are open to the public or the offender is permitted or licensed to enter.” Burglary charges can be either second or first-degree felonies in Pennsylvania.

Usually, burglaries are classified as second-degree felonies if no one was present in the structure while it was being burgled. The maximum prison sentence for second-degree felony burglary charges is 10 years, while the maximum prison sentence for first-degree felony burglary charges is 20 years.

Theft is defined as “the unlawful taking, transferring, or exercising control over another’s movable or immovable property” in Pennsylvania. The intent is to deprive the owner of the ability to use that property, or for the benefit of the offender.

Theft charges can be misdemeanors and felonies in Pennsylvania. Charges are administered depending on how much property was stolen and what its value was. Naturally, penalties for misdemeanors are much lower than that for felonies. The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor theft charge is a prison sentence of up to five years and maximum fines of up to $10,000. For felony charges where the property value is over $500,000, offenders can face a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Armed robbery happens when a person commits a robbery with a deadly weapon. The offender does not have to use the weapon while the crime takes place to be charged with armed robbery. However, keep in mind that a threat to use these weapons may add other charges to your case, such as weapons or other assault charges. 

In Pennsylvania, retail theft can be broken down into two categories: retail theft by fraud and retail theft by taking. The former refers to deceiving a business owner into charging a product or good for less than its retail value, while the latter refers to a product or good being taken transferred with the intent to deprive the seller of its value.

First-time offenders for whom the value of the goods or products they stole is less than $150 will face a summary offense, which translates to a maximum jail sentence of 90 days and a maximum $300 fine. For repeat offenders who steal products or goods equivalent to this value, the charge becomes a second-degree misdemeanor, and maximum penalties include a two-year jail sentence and a $5000 fine. If the retail value is greater than $150, then the charge is a first-degree misdemeanor, with maximum penalties of a five-year jail sentence and a $10,000 fine.