Identity Theft charges: Important Factors Considered By The Court

Very few of us are using cash and the vast majority of consumers prefer to use credit or debit card. Sure enough, this attracted many criminals, who are eager to steal your identity and, through stealing your credit card information, are wasting your money on things that they desire.

Identity theft (PENAL CODE SECTION 528-539) cases are becoming more and more common these days. When it comes to charging and identity thief, the judge and the prosecution are going to consider two main factors that will eventually determine the overall extent of the sentence. The first factor is how much money the thief used and for what purposes. A simple example – if a desperate parent resorts to identity theft to feed his child and spend a little over $50 in the process, consequences are going to be much milder than if a person is going to withdraw a couple of thousand of dollars to go shopping for a big screen TV and a gaming console. Generally speaking, if the identity theft involved less than $400, the case is going to be viewed as a misdemeanor. However, if the sum surpasses $400, the case is going to be deemed a felony and the offender is going to face harsher consequences.

Now the second major factor that the court is going to take into consideration will view how sophisticated and elaborate the crime was. For instance, nowadays, hackers are well used to applying their skills in order to hack into credit card accounts of other people and withdraw their money. However, there are also those, who do not know a single thing about computer hacking – these identity thieves simply use other people’s credit cards. However, even if a person was caught after he or she simply used another individual’s credit or debit card a couple of times, without the permission of that individual of course, it does not necessarily mean that he or she is going to avoid harsh legal penalties.

It is very important to understand that identity theft charges in one’s criminal records may affect his or her life on a much large scale. After all, not so many employers will be eager to hire a person with such shady criminal past. A person may be expelled from college or school, lose his or her job and so on. This is why it is crucial to hire a professional as well as genuinely skillful legal representative in order to do everything possible to avoid getting those criminal records or at the very least to minimize the legal damage.

Only will a qualified and experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney be able to use his skills and expertise in order to help you deal with the difficult legal situation quickly and properly. Identity theft is a serious crime and the judge along with the prosecution will not let it slide, but a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer could make things better for sure.