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NY criminal code what are the procedures and consequences for petty larceny

Asked about 3 years ago - New York, NY

This is beyond humiliating. On December 3rd I was arrested and charged with petit larceny for an incident in Sephora (bottom line, I totally did it, it was apart of a huge prank - stupid.) Anyway, I have a court appearance next week, today I recieved a letter from Sephora's lawyers asking for a settlement in the civil case of $350. This is the first time I've ever been in anything that even resembled trouble. The merchandise amounted to $70. I can't afford an attorney right now and I make too much too qualify for a court appointed attorney. I have no idea where to go from here. It seems crazy that I'm going to end up paying Sephora $350, a criminal fine of God knows how much, community service and the torture of being held in a cell for 3 hours the night of the incident. What should I do???? Please Help, I'm panicked.

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Sarah Kramer Steiner

Reputation Level 6

Answered about 3 years ago. Criminal Defense Attorney in New York, NY.

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If you have not yet pleaded guilty, you should not do so yet. You need to talk with a lawyer. If you were arraigned in NY county, you had a lawyer at least for arraignment, and you should first try to contact that person. If this is a first offense, you should not have a criminal conviction, especially if you are doing community service or making restitution. If you can make restitution a part of the plea agreement, you will have a way to negotiate with Sephora; they should not be able to go after you in addition. I don't know how old you are, but you sound young -- referring to a "prank" -- and this might also help you. Don't damage your life with a potential criminal history just because things are tight right now. Many lawyers take credit cards or make payment plans. Good luck.

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