Theft and Property Crimes Attorney
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Theft crimes or a robbery conviction will destroy your reputation. If you work with an experienced West Michigan attorney for your unarmed robbery or armed robbery charge, you can stay out of jail and avoid the life-changing penalties that could result from a conviction. I provide aggressive criminal defense and I will work with you to get the result you want. I am not going to judge you, and I will be with you at every step.
I represent clients facing the full range of theft and property charges, including:
- Felony Retail Fraud
- Embezzlement
- White Collar Crimes
- Misdemeanor Theft and Shoplifting
- Armed Robbery
- Unarmed Robbery
- Receiving Stolen Property
- Retail Fraud, 1st through 3rd Degree
- Running a Criminal Enterprise
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Theft Charges and Robbery Charges in Michigan
Robbery cases can result in a felony conviction in West Michigan. If you have been accused of stealing or robbing someone in Grand Rapids, Michigan, hire a lawyer from Criminal Defense Attorney Shawn Haff as soon as possible to begin building a powerful defense.
Unarmed robbery in Michigan also packs powerful penalties for convictions and guilty pleas. I know how to defend unarmed robbery and armed robbery cases, and I will fight for your rights in either one.
I will not rest until you have the best result available in your case. I also understand that a great many theft charges have addiction sitting underneath them, and that the charge is rarely the whole story.
Criminal Penalties for Robbery and Theft Charges
According to the Michigan Penal Code (750.530), anyone who uses violence or fear to obtain money or property without consent is guilty of a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. An attempted robbery conviction carries tough criminal punishments and you should still hire Criminal Defense Attorney Shawn Haff to represent you in your case.
Armed robbery charges in Michigan carry a maximum of life in prison. I can help you achieve a good result, and I will fight for you in every West Michigan court.
If a defendant has previously been convicted of a theft offense, another theft conviction could increase the penalties by making the theft crime one degree of severity higher than the defendant is currently facing. For example, if a defendant is accused of stealing an item that is valued at $200 or less, but the defendant has another theft conviction, the defendant could face penalties for the next highest category of theft. According to Michigan law, this means the theft would be considered valued at $200 and $1000.
Grand Rapids, Michigan Theft Crimes Defense Lawyer
Attorney Shawn Haff gets results for his clients when it comes to theft crimes. I am located near Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I will not rest until you get the best result available in your case. Call me now at 616-438-6719.
"At our time of need, Criminal Defense Attorney Shawn Haff came through for us! I dealt with two attorneys there and have nothing but good things to say about them! My calls were all returned, my questions answered in great detail, and it is clear they have the respect of the local prosecutors' and judges in West Michigan. My loved one was facing a felony charge and it was dropped! No probation, no jail, no diversion program, no prison! Needless to say, we will use them again if we ever need their service, though hopefully we never need to! They weren't cheap, but their prices were not outrageous compared to other law firms." Wanda T. read more testimonials
Every Theft and Property Charge I Defend
Michigan spreads property offenses across dozens of statutes with wildly different exposure — from a 93-day misdemeanor to life in prison. Below is the whole map, grouped the way these cases actually come in. Each one links to a page explaining that specific charge.
Retail Fraud and Shoplifting
- Retail Fraud Defense in Grand Rapids — the main page on first, second, and third degree retail fraud under MCL 750.356c and 750.356d.
- Shoplifting Penalties — what each degree actually carries.
- Shoplifting at Woodland Mall and Von Maur — the 62B District Court in Kentwood, loss prevention tactics, and the civil demand letter.
- Kent County Retail Fraud — Grandville, Wyoming, Walker, Grand Rapids, and Kentwood.
- Petty Theft vs. Shoplifting — how the two charges differ.
Larceny and Theft
- Larceny by Conversion — MCL 750.362, where property was handed over lawfully and then kept.
- When Theft Becomes a Felony — the value thresholds explained.
- How to Beat a Theft Charge — the elements that actually get contested.
Robbery
- Armed Robbery — MCL 750.529, life or any term of years. No weapon is required.
- Unarmed Robbery — MCL 750.530, up to 15 years.
- Carjacking — MCL 750.529a, life or any term of years, and consecutive sentencing.
- Burglary vs. Robbery vs. Larceny.
Entry Into Buildings and Homes
- Home Invasion — MCL 750.110a, first through third degree.
- Breaking and Entering — MCL 750.110.
- Burglary — what Michigan actually charges instead.
Vehicles
- Michigan Auto Theft Laws — including UDAA under MCL 750.413 and unlawful use under MCL 750.414.
- Carjacking — MCL 750.529a.
- Receiving a Stolen Motor Vehicle — MCL 750.535(7).
Stolen Property
- Receiving and Concealing Stolen Property — MCL 750.535, graded from 93 days to 10 years.
- Defenses Against Trafficking in Stolen Property.
Fraud and Financial Crimes
- Embezzlement — MCL 750.174, up to 20 years at the top tier.
- Identity Theft — MCL 445.65, with four defenses written into the statute.
- Credit and Debit Card Crimes — the financial transaction device offenses.
- Uttering and Publishing — MCL 750.249, presenting a forged document as genuine.
- Bad Checks — MCL 750.131.
- Health Care Fraud — the Michigan Medicaid False Claim Act.
- White Collar Crimes — the broader category.
Damage to Property
- Malicious Destruction of Property — MCL 750.377a.
- Arson — MCL 750.72 and following.
How Michigan Grades a Theft Charge
Nearly every property offense in Michigan runs on the same three dollar thresholds. Learn these and you can place almost any theft charge on the ladder:
| Value | Offense level | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $200 | Misdemeanor | 93 days |
| $200 – under $1,000 | Misdemeanor | 1 year |
| $1,000 – under $20,000 | Felony | 5 years |
| $20,000 or more | Felony | 10 years |
Larceny (MCL 750.356), receiving and concealing stolen property (MCL 750.535), and embezzlement (MCL 750.174) all follow this structure, with embezzlement adding higher tiers at $50,000 and $100,000. Retail fraud (MCL 750.356c and 750.356d) uses the same $200 and $1,000 breakpoints across its three degrees.
Two rules sit on top of the ladder, and both are worth knowing:
- Aggregation. Values from separate incidents can be added together if they were part of a scheme or course of conduct within any 12-month period. This is how a run of small thefts becomes one felony.
- Prior convictions. A qualifying prior theft conviction bumps an offense up a tier regardless of value. A $150 shoplifting with the right history is not a 93-day misdemeanor anymore.
Robbery, carjacking, home invasion, and arson sit outside the value system entirely — they are felonies based on conduct, and value is irrelevant to the charge.
How Theft Cases Are Defended
Property cases are won on elements, not explanations. These are the arguments that do the work:
- Intent to permanently deprive. Every theft offense requires it. Borrowed property, forgotten items, and disputes over jointly owned property do not satisfy it.
- Claim of right. A genuine belief that the property was yours defeats the larceny element, even if the belief was mistaken.
- Value. An element, not a detail. Fair market value at the time of the offense — not replacement cost, not original retail.
- Identification. Grainy overhead video and suggestive show-up identifications are the backbone of a lot of these cases, and both are attackable.
- Knowledge. In a receiving-stolen-property case, the prosecutor must prove you knew or had reason to believe. In a fraud case, they must prove intent to defraud rather than error.
- Search and seizure. Property cases frequently rest on evidence from a car stop, a consent search, or a phone. An unlawful search takes the evidence — and usually the case — with it.
- Possession. Property found in a shared car, house, or garage is not automatically yours. Constructive possession has to be proved.
What a Theft Conviction Costs Beyond the Sentence
I want to be plain about this, because it is the part clients underestimate. A theft conviction is a crime of dishonesty, and Michigan treats it differently from other offenses of the same severity:
- It can be used to attack your credibility if you ever testify in any case, criminal or civil.
- Employers screen for it specifically. It is disqualifying for most jobs handling money, inventory, or vulnerable people.
- Professional licensing boards — nursing, insurance, real estate, accounting, law — treat theft as a character issue rather than a one-time mistake.
- It carries immigration consequences. Many theft offenses are crimes involving moral turpitude, with serious consequences for anyone who is not a citizen.
- Restitution outlasts everything else. It survives the end of probation and is not wiped out by serving a sentence.
This is why the goal in a theft case is so often the record rather than the sentence, and why first-offense options — expungement, HYTA under MCL 762.11, a delayed sentence under MCL 771.1 — are worth pursuing hard even when a jail term was never realistic.
Where Your Case Will Be Heard
Misdemeanor theft and retail fraud cases stay in district court. In Kent County that means the 61st District Court in downtown Grand Rapids, the 62A in Wyoming, the 62B in Kentwood, or the 63rd District Court for the rest of the county. Felony charges start in the same district court with an arraignment, a probable cause conference, and a preliminary examination, and are then bound over to the 17th Circuit Court in Grand Rapids.
Outside Kent County I am regularly in the 58th District and 20th Circuit in Ottawa County, the 57th District and 48th Circuit in Allegan County, and the district and circuit courts in Barry, Ionia, Muskegon, Newaygo, and Van Buren counties. Which judge and which prosecutor you are in front of genuinely changes what is available in a property case — particularly on diversion and first-offense resolutions, where practice varies a great deal between counties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is theft a felony or a misdemeanor in Michigan?
Both, depending on value. Michigan grades most theft offenses at three dollar thresholds: under $200 is generally a 93-day misdemeanor, $200 to under $1,000 is a 1-year misdemeanor, $1,000 to under $20,000 is a 5-year felony, and $20,000 or more is a 10-year felony. Prior theft convictions push you up a tier even when the value does not change. Robbery, carjacking, arson, and home invasion are felonies regardless of value.
What is the difference between theft, larceny, robbery, and burglary in Michigan?
Larceny is taking property with intent to permanently deprive the owner. Robbery is a larceny committed with force, violence, or fear against a person who is present — a crime against a person, not just property. Breaking and entering and home invasion involve unlawful entry into a structure. Michigan has no offense actually called "burglary"; what people mean by it is charged as breaking and entering under MCL 750.110 or home invasion under MCL 750.110a.
How is the value of stolen property determined?
By fair market value at the time of the offense — not what the owner originally paid, and not the cost of replacing it new. This matters enormously because value is an element that sets the penalty tier. Police reports routinely list replacement or original retail cost, and correcting that figure can move a case from felony to misdemeanor.
Can a first-offense theft charge be kept off my record?
Often, yes. Depending on your age and history, options include the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act under MCL 762.11 for offenses committed between 17 and 23, a delayed sentence under MCL 771.1, and diversion programs run by several West Michigan prosecutor's offices. Because theft is a crime of dishonesty that appears on every background check and can be used to attack your credibility as a witness, avoiding the conviction usually matters more than the sentence.
Will I have to pay restitution for a theft conviction?
Yes. Restitution is ordered in nearly every theft case under the Crime Victim's Rights Act, it is based on the victim's actual loss, and it is not discharged by serving a jail sentence or finishing probation. The loss figure is negotiable and frequently overstated, so it is worth contesting rather than accepting.
Do I have to talk to the police or loss prevention about a theft accusation?
No, and you should not. A loss prevention office is not a police station, so no Miranda warning is required — but anything you write or sign there goes straight into the police report. The same is true of an employer's internal interview in an embezzlement case. Decline politely and call a lawyer before you say anything.
Talk to Me Before You Talk to the Police
I am Shawn Haff, and I defend theft and property crime cases across Kent, Ottawa, Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Muskegon, Newaygo, and Van Buren counties. The call is free, I answer my own phone, and in a property case the earlier I am involved the more room there is to work. Call 616-438-6719 or send me a message.