Contact an Experienced Riverside Theft Attorney Today

When you are accused of theft in Riverside County, the district attorney will be aggressive in prosecuting you. Theft crimes carry significant penalties in Riverside, including jail or prison time and expensive fines, and prosecutors will pursue the harshest possible consequences in your case. That is why you should seek the help of our experienced Riverside theft attorneys at Wallin & Klarich.

Our law firm has been successfully defending clients accused of theft offenses in Riverside County for more than 40+ years. Our theft defense attorneys know the valid legal defenses to theft charges and how to apply those defenses in Riverside County courts. Let us help you build a winning defense to the theft charges you are facing.

Contact our Riverside theft attorneys today at (877) 466-5245 for a free phone consultation regarding your case.

Why You Should Choose the Riverside Theft Attorneys at Wallin & Klarich

For more than 40+ years, our law firm has been successfully defending clients facing theft charges in Riverside. Our numerous case victories in matters involving theft offenses have helped us accumulate a number of awards and achievements, including a 5 out of 5 AV rating on Lawyers.com, a 10 out of 10 rating on AVVO.com, and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Wallin & Klarich takes great pride in representing our clients accused of theft with the professionalism and respect their cases deserve. View these testimonials from real clients who hired our Riverside theft defense lawyers to find out more about how we treat our clients:

“My sister was accused of grand theft in Riverside. If she were to be found guilty, it would compromise her entire future as a lawyer and would be devastating to her. We knew we needed a lawyer but it took us several meetings with other lawyers before we found Wallin & Klarich. It was immediately clear that Wallin & Klarich would be the right choice for us. Our theft lawyer listened to my sister’s side of the story and was empathetic and kind. He treated us with the utmost respect and made me feel like I had hired the right attorney for us. Our Wallin & Klarich attorney was able to achieve what eight other attorneys previously told us was unlikely: a complete dismissal of the charges against my sister! We consider ourselves lucky not only to have had Wallin & Klarich represent us, but also to have made a good friend in the process.”

-A.G.

“I would like to thank my attorney at Wallin & Klarich for helping me through this difficult matter and getting me an amazing result in my case. I was arrested for stealing property in Murrieta, and I was facing felony charges because the property was very valuable. I contacted Wallin & Klarich and they were quick to take action. They got me in contact with a bail bondsman who helped me get out of custody and see my family immediately. They listened to my side of the story and put together a great defense for me. My attorney was able to make a deal with the district attorney that was too good for me to pass up. I am so happy with the result and how this will not affect my life the way I thought it would.”

-W.I.

“I hired the law firm of Wallin & Klarich when I was falsely accused of embezzlement in Riverside. It seemed that nobody believed when I told them the accusations were false, but Wallin & Klarich was on my side. They listened to me and fought for me when nobody else would. The charges were eventually dropped thanks to the work of the law firm of Wallin & Klarich. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a lawyer.”

-C.B.

What is the Crime of Theft in Riverside?

Theft is the crime of unlawfully taking the property of another person. Rather than one law, theft is a set of laws that could refer to one or more of the following offenses:

Petty theft (PC 488)
Grand theft (PC 487)
Grand theft auto (PC 487(d)(1))
Embezzlement (PC 503)

The penalties for a theft offense depend upon the particular penal code section you are convicted of violating as well as the circumstances of the case. Misdemeanor theft crimes carry a sentence of six months to 364 days in county jail, while felony theft offenses are punishable by up to three years in jail.

These are harsh consequences, and having a theft conviction on your criminal record could negatively impact your ability to gain employment or advance in your career for the rest of your life. That is why you should speak to our experienced Riverside theft attorneys at Wallin & Klarich immediately if you are accused of theft.

What Happens When You are Arrested for Theft in Riverside?

When you are arrested for theft in Riverside County, you will likely be taken into custody and held at the jail facility that is closest to the location of your arrest. If you are attempting to locate a loved one who has been accused of theft, visit our Riverside jail information page for information on finding where your loved one is being held.

The first court appearance that you will have is called the arraignment. The judge will inform you of the specific penal code section you are alleged to have violation. At this court hearing, you will also be:

Informed of issues relating to bail or release
Informed of any future court date
Allowed to enter a plea of guilty, not guilty or no contest

You should not post bail or go to your first court appearance without first consulting with an experienced Riverside theft attorney. An experienced Wallin & Klarich theft lawyer can prepare you for the first court date and may be able to help you save thousands of dollars in bail bonds fees. To learn more about how Wallin & Klarich may be able to help you save money on bail, visit our Riverside County bail information page.

What the Prosecution Must Prove to Convict You of Theft in Riverside

In order to convict you of a theft offense in Riverside County, the prosecution must prove all of the elements of the crime. The particular elements that must be proven in your case depend upon the actual charge you face. However, all theft crimes have the following elements in common:

You took or obtained property that you knew belonged to someone else
You intended to deprive the owner permanently of the property or to remove it from the owner’s possession for an extended period of time

There are additional elements that must be proven based on the value of the property taken and the way in which you achieved the theft. The different ways in which you took the property could include any of the following:

Theft by trick – You used fraud or deceit to trick the owner of the property to give you possession of it
Theft by embezzlement – The owner of the property entrusted you with his or her property and you fraudulently converted or used that property to your own benefit
Theft by fraud or false pretense – You knowingly and intentionally deceived a property owner by false or fraudulent representation or pretense and the owner let you take possession of the property as a result

An experienced Riverside theft defense lawyer may be able to raise reasonable doubt that one or more of the elements of this crime cannot be proven in your case. If all of the elements of theft cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, you cannot be convicted of this crime.

Defenses to Theft Charges in Riverside County

Our skilled and knowledgeable theft attorneys have been successfully defending clients charged with theft crimes in Riverside County courts for more than 40+ years. Here are some of the most common legal defenses our attorneys have successfully used to help our clients obtain favorable results in their cases:

Lack of intent – The crime of theft requires that you had the specific intent to commit the act. If the prosecution fails to prove that you had the intent of depriving the owner of the property, you should not be convicted of this crime.
False allegations – If witnesses identified the wrong person or police arrested the wrong suspect, you should not be convicted of the crime of theft.
You were the actual owner of the item – Some cases of theft involve the rightful owner of the property taking it back. Your Riverside theft defense lawyer may be able to show the court that you are the actual owner of the property, and thus, you did not deprive someone else of the property.

If you have been accused of theft in Riverside County, contact our law firm so that our skilled theft defense attorneys can assess your case and determine which valid legal defenses may apply. Call Wallin & Klarich today at (877) 466-5245 for a free phone consultation with one of our experienced theft lawyers.

Call an Experienced Riverside Theft Attorney at Wallin & Klarich Today

A conviction for a theft crime carries significant penalties in Riverside County. That is why you should contact our experienced Riverside theft attorneys at Wallin & Klarich if you have been accused of a theft offense. Our criminal defense lawyers have been successfully defending clients accused of theft crimes in Riverside County for more than 40+ years. We can help you now.

Our office can be found in Riverside, right across the street from the Riverside courthouse. The office is located at:

Wallin & Klarich: A Law Corporation
4229 Main St. Suite A/B
Riverside, CA 92501

Contact our law firm today at (877) 466-5245 for a free phone consultation regarding your theft case.