What can happen to someone who unknowingly pawn some jewelery for a friend which ended up being stolen?
My son, who does not have a criminal record, pawned jewelery for a friend that ended up being stolen from the parents. The friend admitted to the cops and his parents he stole it but said my son helped him pawn it. Now the cops are questioning my son about it. They have it on video him and the friend who stole it pawning it. This was a good friend of my son's and he swore up and down it was his and not stolen. Could he be arrested and go to jail for this?
Typically your son would be facing charges of providing false information to a pawnbroker, this is a second degree felony unless the value of the items was under $300. Your son should consult with an attorney and not speak to anyone regarding the details of his case.
Feel free to contact my office for a free consultation, I would be happy to discuss this matter further.
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He can absolutely go to jail for this. This is a second degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. He should not talk to the police without having an attorney present. The state must prove knowledge and the more he talks, the more likely they will arrest him. Get an attorney immediately.
Yes, your son can be arrested and go to jail for this. He can be prosecuted, perhaps for the theft as well as dealing in stolen property. The theft would probably be a third degree, 5 year, felony, and dealing in stolen property is a second degree, 15 year felony. So, he could potentially face being imprisoned for 20 years. For a first offense with charges like this, it depends upon many factors which would have to be examined to give you any more detail on what is likely to happen, but we usually work some plea bargain out, and if that is not possible and acceptable, we go to trial. Jail is probably not what would be sought by the State. However, your son will need an aggressive criminal defense attorney to represent him. The pro bono attorneys are the public defenders, who are paid by the State to represent indigent people. Some of them are excellent. I have seen far too many instances of young men taking a plea bargain for something that they should not have taken, and later being caught in a similar circumstance, but this time going to jail for a long time. There are 2.3 million prisoners in jail across the US. Get a good attorney for him.
Unfortunately, the answer to whether he may be arrested and incarcerated for what you described above is yes. The best thing to do in this situation is to secure counsel. If your son is not in a position to afford one, the court should appoint him with court-appointed counsel. I would recommend he finds one as soon as possible.
I wish you and your son the best in fighting this charge. If you require further assistance in this matter, please feel free to contact our offices.
Sincerely,
Felipe Fulgencio, Esq.
Fulgencio Law | Hyde Park, Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 760-0269
