Organized Retail Theft

How Arizona Law Classifies Organized Retail Theft

Organized retail theft can be committed in two ways:

1. By removing merchandise from a retail establishment without paying the purchase price with the intent to resell or trade the merchandise for money or for other value
2. By using an artifice, instrument, container, device or other article to facilitate the removal of merchandise from a retail establishment without paying the purchase price

If you face organized retail theft charges in Arizona, you need to contact an aggressive attorney as soon as possible.

The Most Common Occurances of Retail Theft in Arizona

We often see someone charged with organized retail theft charges, usually in one of two scenarios:

First, we often see retail theft charges result when someone gets caught shoplifting from a store, and police later determine that the person is reselling the items. Given the considerable number of places to sell items online (eBay, Craigslist, Offerup, Facebook marketplace), police often search these online marketplaces for evidence of the stolen items offered for sale. They then use a variety of surveillance and investigation tactics to link those postings to a specific individual.

Secondly, retail theft charges often occur when someone uses something like a bag to conceal an item they have shoplifted. For example, we have seen circumstances where someone shoplifted or attempted to shoplift a $40 item. However, because they put it in a bag to conceal it, the individual faces felony charges (organized retail theft) instead of a misdemeanor (theft or shoplifting).

Using a bag certainly doesn’t mean that someone who steals a $40 item deserves a felony on their record forever. For this reason, you need to contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer if you face organized retail theft charges.