Larceny is a wrongful taking and carrying away of personal property of another with fraudulent intent to deprive the owner of his property without his consent.” Federal larceny statute is 18 U.S.C. § 641. The only element required by the statute to be guilty of a federal theft crime is the taking of property belonging to the United States with the intention of converting it to one’s own use.”
The law defines property belonging to the United States as “any record, voucher, money, or thing of value of the United States or of any department or agency thereof, or any property made or being made under contract for the United States or any department or agency thereof.”
The penalties for federal larceny crime for individuals committing the actual larceny and for those who receive stolen property with the intent to convert it to their use or gain knowing that the property had been stolen depend on the value of the property. If the value of the property exceeds $1,000, violations are punished by a fine or not more than 10 years of imprisonment, or both. In cases where the value does not exceed $1,000, the penalty is a fine or imprisonment of not more than one year, or both.
In Long Island federal courts, the federal theft is used extensively, normally in prosecution of fraud cases. In one case, decided last year, U.S. v. Kasi, defendant was convicted of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, food stamp fraud, and theft of food stamp benefits, which falls under the federal theft statute. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York sentenced defendant to 57 months’ imprisonment.
If you were arrested or investigated for violating the federal larceny law in Long Island, then call our Long Island federal larceny defense attorneys at (516) 204-7611 for professional legal advice.