What is Felony Grand Theft in Colorado?
The offense of theft is often charged as a misdemeanor in Colorado, but it is essential to know that you can certainly face felony charges for theft as well, depending on the value of the goods that are stolen. In fact, for high-value items, you can even face up to class 2 felony charges in Colorado for theft alone, which can result in a prison sentence of up to 24 years in prison and 5 years of mandatory parole. To be clear, for taking property of a certain value, even if there is absolutely no risk of violence to anybody involved, you can face serious felony charges.
What counts as felony grand theft in Colorado, and what else should you know if you are facing felony theft charges? Our Denver and Brighton felony theft defense lawyers can tell you more, and we can speak with you today about defending against any type of felony theft charges you may be facing.
Understanding Colorado Theft Offenses
While the Colorado Statutes do not expressly identify particular theft offenses as “grand theft,” this is a term that is typically used to describe felony theft offenses. Under Colorado law, theft charges can occur and can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony when a person “knowingly obtains, retains, or exercises control over anything of value of another without authorization or by threat or deception,” or “receives, loans money by pawn or pledge on, or disposes of anything of value or belonging to another that he or she knows or believes to have been stolen.”
In addition, the Colorado Statutes outline that one of six additional circumstances must also be true for the person to face charges. Those circumstances generally involve the person having intent to deprive another person of their property, knowingly taking steps to deprive them of their property, or seeking compensation for returning the property after it was stolen.
Felony “Grand Theft” Charges in Colorado
What makes the above types of theft felonies in Colorado? In short, whether a theft offense is charged as a misdemeanor or a felony generally concerns the value of the item or items in question:
- Class 6 felony for items valued between $2,000 and up to $4,999;
- Class 5 felony for items valued between $5,000 and up to $19,999;
- Class 4 felony for items valued between $20,000 and up to $99,999;
- Class 3 felony for items valued between $100,000 and up to $999,999; or
- Class 2 felony for items valued at $1 million or more.
Contact a Denver Felony Theft Defense Lawyer for Help Today
Are you facing felony charges for theft in Brighton or Denver? If so, it is critical to build a strong defense to avoid a conviction. The penalties for a felony theft conviction can be severe, including a possible prison sentence of more than two decades under some circumstances. Defending against these charges is never something you should try to handle on your own. One of the experienced Denver felony theft defense attorneys at DeChant Law can speak with you today to find out more about the specific charges you are facing and to begin discussing defense strategies for your case. Contact us today for assistance.
Sources:
law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-18/article-4/part-4/section-18-4-401/
cdhs.colorado.gov/sites/cdhs/files/2021-05/felony_sentencing_guidelines.pdf
