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for financial crimes
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Financial Crimes their crimes that are
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committed to enable the perpetrator to
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convert money or property for his own
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use and personal gain financial crimes
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include theft robbery burglary and
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forgery sometimes financial crimes also
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involve additional crimes such as
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computer crimes or even violent crimes
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theft crimes theft is the unlawful
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taking of the property of another the
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model Penal Code provides several
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categories of theft including theft by
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taking theft by deception theft by
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extortion and receiving stolen property
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state laws vary widely in how they
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define and punish theft crimes Georgia
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for example defines theft by taking as
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the unlawful taking possession or
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appropriation of the property of another
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with the intent of depriving him of the
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property it's not enough to take the
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property of another a defendant must
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have intent to take that property and
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deprive the owner of it as theft is a
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specific intent crime for example the
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person steals a car that contains a
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hidden bag of money the person has
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stolen the car but has not committed
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theft with regards to the bag of money
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because he did not know of its existence
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if he later finds the bag of money and
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keeps it that's a new and separate act
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of theft main defines theft by deception
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as obtaining or exercising control over
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the property of another as a result of
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deception and with intent to deprive the
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other of that property thus in order to
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obtain a conviction of theft by
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deception the prosecution must prove one
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the defendant obtained the property to
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the defendant made false statements 3
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the victim relied on those false
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statements and for the defendant acted
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with intent to deprive the owner of the
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property if the victim does not rely on
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the false statements theft by deception
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has not occurred for example in a 1985
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Alabama case ex parte de an undercover
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FBI agent purchased a purported 1.3
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carat diamond for $3,300 from the
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defendant the diamond was later
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determined to be a zirconia stone the
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defendant was convicted of theft by
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deception the Supreme Court of Alabama
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reversed the conviction because the
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agent was not actually deceived and did
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not purchase the stone because she
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relied on the defendants false promise
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the court noted that the more
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appropriate charge would have been
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attempted theft by deception
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theft by extortion occurs when someone
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compels a victim to deliver property or
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services by installing fear through
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threats of physical injury property
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damage engaging in other criminal acts
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or otherwise causing financial
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reputational league
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or physical harm the threatened action
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does not necessarily need to be illegal
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but does need to be immoral or wrongful
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in some way for example demanding money
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for silence about a marital affair is
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classic criminal extortion even though
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disclosing the affair is not inherently
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illegal but it's self-evident that
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threatening to leave a job unless one
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receives a raise is not extortion or
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illegal for extortion to apply the fear
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of the defendant's threats does not need
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to be the sole motivating force but it
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must be a motivating factor in the
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victims decision to turn over the money
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property or services for example in an
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Idaho case state vs. or the defendant
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was in jail when he and a fellow inmate
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instructed a woman on the outside to
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deliver a threatening letter to a third
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party who owed the inmate several
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thousand dollars
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the woman delivered the letter the
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victim contacted the police and the
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police provided surveillance while the
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money was delivered the woman and the
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defendant were arrested charged with
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theft by extortion and found guilty at
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trial on appeal the defendant argued
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that his threat was not a compelling
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force behind the delivery of the money
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he claimed that the informant delivered
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the money only because the police
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conducting the surveillance instructed
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her to do so not because of the
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defendants threats the court upheld the
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conviction ruling that extortion only
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requires that fear be a motivating force
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it does not require that fear be the
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primary or sole force behind the victims
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delivery of the property theft by
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receiving stolen property occurs when
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someone receives the property of another
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and knows the property has been stolen
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or believes the property has probably
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been stolen unless of course he receives
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it with the intent to restore it to the
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owner it is not necessary to prove from
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whom the defendant received the stolen
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property only that he received so for
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example if someone runs a Chop Shop
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recycling stolen car parts he can be
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guilty of receiving stolen property even
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if he knows almost nothing about how or
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when or where the cars were stolen
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robbery robbery is the crime of taking
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the property of another from his
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immediate vicinity by means of force or
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threat of force in this way it's a
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combination of theft and assault the
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model Penal Code defines robbery as a
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theft that occurs by inflicting serious
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bodily injury or subjects the victim to
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a threat of such injury states generally
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define robbery similarly but usually
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also divide robbery into degrees based
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on factors such as degree of force used
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weapon usage and amount taken Missouri
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for example distinguishes between first
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and second degree robbery in that state
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a person commits first-degree robbery if
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he forcibly steals property and causes
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serious physical injury is armed with a
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deadly weapon uses or threatens the
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immediate use of a dangerous instrument
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or displays or threatens the use of what
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appears to be a deadly weapon or
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dangerous instrument second degree
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robbery is any other forcible theft that
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causes physical injury other states such
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as Arkansas distinguish between robbery
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and aggravated robbery there a robbery
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occurs when someone employs or threatens
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to immediately employ a physical force
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with the purpose of committing a theft
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the crime is aggravated if the defendant
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was armed with a deadly weapon
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represents that he's armed or inflicts
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or attempts to inflict serious physical
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injury as in the case of theft crimes
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robbery is a specific intent crime
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requiring intent to deprive the owner of
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the property less a negligent or
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reckless mental state is insufficient
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carjacking and mugging are classic
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examples of robbery and are typically
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punished as first-degree robbery or
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aggravated robbery when guns are used in
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the process the crime of robbery is
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distinct from theft and usually punished
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more severely because the property is
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taken from the owners person or her
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immediate presence which escalates the
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danger to the victim the property must
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be close enough to the victim that he
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could have prevented the defendant from
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taking it but for the use of force or
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the threat of force robbery is
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considered a continuing offense because
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it does not end until the perpetrator
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has reached a place of safety thus if
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the force or threat does not occur when
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the property is taken but
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Kurzweil the perpetrator is transporting
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the property to another location a
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robbery has still occurred for example
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in the California case people versus
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estie's after a Sears department store
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security guard confronted a suspected
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shoplifter the suspect pulled a knife on
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the guard and threatened to kill him on
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appeal the defendant argued that he
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could not be guilty of robbery because
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the assault was not contemporaneous with
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the taking of the merchandise from the
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store the court disagreed and held that
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robbery is a continuing offense that
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lasts from the time of the original
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taking until the robber reaches a place
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of relative safety the fact that the
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defendant used force to prevent the
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guard from retaking the property and to
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facilitate his escape was sufficient for
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a conviction related to the idea that
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robbery is a continuous offense is the
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idea that robbery is not complete until
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the property is actually carried away
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this element is known as asportation
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however the evidence required to prove
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asportation need only show that the item
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was moved a slight distance for example
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asportation will be proven if a
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defendant drags a victim into the
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backseat of an automobile grabs her
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purse and rummages through the purse
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before dropping the purse and making his
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getaway the fact that the defendant left
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the purse behind was irrelevant because
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he possessed the property for a short
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time considerable litigation has
00:08:20
centered on the question of how much
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force is necessary to constitute a
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robbery for example in the Claddagh case
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owens versus state a jury convicted the
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defendant of robbery after he came up
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behind a victim and pulled her purse
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from her shoulder the victim testified
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that it hurt when the defendant snatched
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her purse and left a mark on her
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shoulder but the defendant did not
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threaten her or attempt to injure her
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the defendant argued that the charge
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should be reduced to theft because he
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did not use the amount of force required
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the court agreed and overturned the
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defendants conviction however the court
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noted that there may be circumstances in
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which snatching does constitute
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sufficient force such as when the victim
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resists the snatching and only lets go
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after being pushed to the ground
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burglary a person commits the offense of
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burglary when without authority and with
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the intent to commit a felony or theft
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he enters the structure building or
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dwelling house of another the purpose of
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entering is usually to commit a theft
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but in most states the intent to commit
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any felony will suffice
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thus a crucial element of burglary is
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that the defendant intended to commit a
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theft or a felony for example in
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Commonwealth vs. will a mouse key the
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defendant kicked in a garage door but
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the crime was stopped before anything
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was stolen the defendant argued that the
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evidence was insufficient to establish
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that he intended to commit a crime
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inside the structure the court reasoned
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that intent may be inferred from
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circumstantial evidence but a forced
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opening standing alone is not sufficient
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for a finding of intent the defendants
00:09:55
conviction for attempted burglary was
00:09:57
reversed burglary is often referred to
00:10:00
as breaking and entering and confusion
00:10:03
has arisen over whether a mere entry
00:10:05
constitutes a breaking a Pennsylvania
00:10:08
Court ruled that breaking could be
00:10:09
constructive if permission for entry is
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gained by deceiving the homeowner in
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their case the defendant rang the
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doorbell and told the owner that he was
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there to read a utility meter in the
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basement the homeowner granted
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permission and the defendant entered the
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home the defendant took a bucket of
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pennies and exited the home the court
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affirmed the burglary conviction and
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found the defendants deception vitiated
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'add any consent that the homeowner gave
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him to enter thus the defendant was not
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privileged to enter and a constructive
00:10:38
breakin had occurred litigation has also
00:10:41
addressed what constitutes an entry for
00:10:44
burglary purposes Massachusetts courts
00:10:47
have held that intrusion by any part of
00:10:49
the defendants body is sufficient to
00:10:51
establish entry when only an instrument
00:10:54
crosses the threshold of a structure no
00:10:56
entry has been established if the
00:10:58
instrument was only used to accomplish
00:11:00
the breaking however if the instrument
00:11:03
was used to commit the felony the entry
00:11:05
of the instrument will suffice to
00:11:07
establish the element of breaking for
00:11:09
example if someone breaks a victim's
00:11:11
window and throws a bottle filled with
00:11:12
gasoline inside and starts a fire even
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though the defendant did not use the
00:11:17
bottle to break the window entry
00:11:18
occurred when the bottle
00:11:20
the threshold of the structure the law
00:11:23
provides greater penalties for burglary
00:11:25
of a home than for burglary of other
00:11:27
structures for example Alaska defines
00:11:30
first-degree burglary as entering or
00:11:32
remaining in the building with intent to
00:11:34
commit a crime in the building if the
00:11:37
building is a dwelling which means a
00:11:39
building used as a person's permanent or
00:11:41
temporary home in an Alaska case that
00:11:45
tested that definition Schumacher versus
00:11:47
State the defendant was convicted of
00:11:49
first degree burglary after he boarded a
00:11:51
fishing boat and gained entry into the
00:11:53
cabin by sawing a door lock the
00:11:56
defendant lived aboard the boat for
00:11:57
approximately a month before he was
00:11:59
arrested the defendant argued that the
00:12:02
boat was not a dwelling or a building
00:12:04
because no one was living in it or
00:12:05
planning to live it at the time that he
00:12:07
took possession the court held that
00:12:09
because the boat was designed to sleep
00:12:11
two crew members contained a galley two
00:12:14
bunks and an indoor head the boat was
00:12:16
considered a dwelling
00:12:21
forgery
00:12:23
forgery occurs when someone with the
00:12:25
intent to defraud knowingly alters a
00:12:28
written document without permission
00:12:29
forgery is often committed by the use of
00:12:32
a fraudulent check but it includes other
00:12:34
types of writings as well
00:12:35
many states distinguish between degrees
00:12:37
of forgery and assign greater penalties
00:12:39
and sentences depending on the amount of
00:12:41
the loss the purpose of forgery is
00:12:44
usually pecuniary gain but consider the
00:12:46
following Colorado case where the
00:12:48
defendants purpose was to avoid criminal
00:12:50
charges the defendants ex-wife filed a
00:12:54
complaint against the defendant alleging
00:12:55
domestic assault the defendant contacted
00:12:58
his ex-wife and requested that she
00:13:00
recant he sent her a prepared letter and
00:13:02
asked her to sign it and send it to the
00:13:04
prosecutor but she refused the defendant
00:13:07
signed the ex-wife's name without her
00:13:09
permission and mailed it to the
00:13:10
prosecutor the defendant was charged and
00:13:13
convicted of forgery the Supreme Court
00:13:16
of Colorado sustained the conviction
00:13:18
ruling that forgery is not limited to
00:13:20
forgery of writings affecting financial
00:13:22
interests but also includes forgery of
00:13:24
writings having other legal effects
00:13:26
forgery requires that the defendant
00:13:28
commit the act of forgery it's not
00:13:30
enough of the defendant conspired to
00:13:32
profit after an act of forgery for
00:13:35
example in an Oklahoma case van versus
00:13:38
state multiple people conspired to have
00:13:40
a girl impersonate another girl who was
00:13:42
supposed to receive a plot of land so
00:13:44
that they could control the land instead
00:13:46
the agent overseeing the transfer became
00:13:49
suspicious of the impersonator and asked
00:13:51
the defendant to identify her the
00:13:53
defendant falsely told the agent that
00:13:55
the impersonator was the person who was
00:13:57
supposed to receive the property there
00:13:59
was also evidence that the defendant was
00:14:01
paid for his fraudulent identification
00:14:03
the defendant was convicted of forgery
00:14:06
however the Oklahoma Court of Appeals
00:14:08
reversed his conviction because there
00:14:10
was no evidence that the defendant
00:14:12
joined in the act of forgery or
00:14:13
conspired to perpetrate the forgery his
00:14:16
later participation and the fact that he
00:14:18
profited from the forgery did not make
00:14:21
him guilty of the original offense a
00:14:23
forgery has not occurred if someone
00:14:25
signs another signature with permission
00:14:28
for example if someone receives
00:14:29
permission to sign a loan document
00:14:31
secured by a mortgage in another's name
00:14:32
and does so there has been no forgery
00:14:35
because one
00:14:36
received permission and acted within
00:14:38
that permission and two there was no
00:14:40
intent to defraud
00:14:42
in our final module we will look at a
00:14:44
series of possible defenses against
00:14:46
criminal charges and discuss how they
00:14:48
are applied