With Americans ordering an average of 45 packages a year, with roughly a third lost to package theft, porch piracy is costing businesses millions annually and states are getting fed up. In fact, many states are considering stricter laws to crack down on porch pirates, including Georgia, where state legislators have recently proposed a bill that would have package thieves facing punishments of up to 5 years in prison to curb the package theft epidemic sweeping the country. Other states have already enacted laws with 5 year minimums.
Thanks in large part to the proliferation of residential surveillance cameras, arrests for package theft is on the rise. If you are caught stealing packages, even on a dare from a teenage friend, you could be facing serious consequences, which may include state and federal charges for anything from grand theft for higher valued items to petit theft for items of lesser value. Because companies including UPS, Amazon and FedEx lose millions of packages every year to theft, law enforcement is tackling the problem with all tools at their disposal and harsh penalties including fines and prison time to send a message to would be thieves.
Closer to home in Wisconsin, lawmakers are intent on the punishment fitting the crime for porch thieves identified and arrested. A proposed law would allow local prosecutors to roll a series of package thefts into one and increase the penalty for stealing packages to reflect the realty of package theft in 2020. If you are caught stealing packages, even on a dare from a teenage friend, you could be facing serious consequences, which may include state and federal charges for anything from grand theft for higher valued items to petit theft for items of less value.
Fight Package Theft Charges
Contact an Experienced Wisconsin Theft Defense Lawyer for Help
If you are a family member is charged with package theft, it is important to seek the help of an experienced Wisconsin criminal defense lawyer. Legal defenses to crimes involving theft often hinge on the intent of a client - did they intend to steal a package or was it an act of safekeeping for a neighbor? Was it their intent to steal a package of that much worth? The higher the value – the more severe the penalties. Other defenses may include mistaken identity which is particularly problematic when relying on video footage or a violations of someone’s constitutional rights when performing a search. Contact the Waukesha criminal defense lawyers of Andrew C Ladd LLC for immediate assistance at 262-542-3900.
