How Will a Theft Conviction Impact My Future in Maryland

Getting convicted of a crime is hardly a good thing. Apart from the immediate impact of fines, prison terms, or both upon conviction, there will be life impacts felt in the future to varying degrees depending on the severity of the conviction.

Misdemeanor theft crimes will show up on background checks for jobs, educational opportunities, and in other places unless they are somehow removed. Felony convictions for theft, on the other hand, may be present for an extremely long time – potentially permanently. Moreover, felony convictions have consequences that will be with you for life. You may not be able to work certain jobs, you will not be able to own a firearm, and people you care about may feel differently about you. With so much at stake, you need competent legal representation in your corner.

For help with your situation, call our Maryland theft defense lawyers from Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.

Types of Theft in Maryland

Depending on the value of the things stolen, theft can be either a misdemeanor or a felony in Maryland. It is important that you tell our Ocean City, MD theft defense lawyers specifics about your situation so that we know what charges we are likely to be defending you against. More importantly, a conviction for misdemeanor-level theft will have different consequences than felony-level theft. Theft as a whole is covered by Md. Code, Crim. Art., § 7-104.

Theft as a Misdemeanor

Misdemeanor theft is covered by Md. Code, Crim. Art., § 7-104(g)(2). Theft is a misdemeanor when the value of the things stolen is $100 or more but less than $1,500. In those instances, the penalty is a prison sentence of six months or less and fines no greater than $500. For convictions beyond a first conviction, the penalty is up to one year in prison, although the fine amount remains the same.

There is a separate penalty for minor theft of things that are valued at less than $100. In those cases, the maximum prison term is no more than 90 days, and the maximum fine is $500.

In all instances of misdemeanor theft, you will also have to return the stolen things to their owners or, if that cannot be done, pay to them the value of the stolen things.

Theft as a Felony

Theft is a felony when the value of things stolen is higher. Felony-level theft is detailed in Md. Code, Crim. Art. § 7-104(g)(1). There are increasingly severe penalties for higher values of items stolen.

For stealing things with a value of $1,500 or more but less than $25,000, the penalty is up to five years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. For amounts of $25,000 or more but less than $100,000, the penalty is up to 10 years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines. For amounts of $100,000 or more, the penalty is up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000.

Like with misdemeanor theft, all of these penalties also require those convicted to return the stolen items or pay back their value to their rightful owners.

Impacts of a Misdemeanor Theft Conviction in Maryland

A misdemeanor conviction can have impacts on your life that go beyond criminal penalties. After fines have been paid and any jail or prison sentences have been served, the conviction will “follow you around” in life. If a prospective employer does a criminal background check when you are looking for a job, that conviction will appear when they get the results of the background check. This could be especially problematic if the theft is shoplifting and you are applying to a retail position or, similarly if you stole from company funds and are applying to a financially related job.

It may be possible after a certain amount of time to get your record “expunged” or sealed away and unable to be seen in background checks. You can petition a judge to do this after a certain amount of time. You can try and demonstrate that you have changed since your conviction, and it does not make sense to keep it on your record. However, you must go through a legal process to do this, and you cannot do it immediately after you are convicted.

Impacts of a Felony Theft Conviction in Maryland

The impacts of a felony theft conviction in Maryland are much more serious than those related to misdemeanor theft convictions. Felonies are virtually permanent on your criminal record. They cannot be expunged nearly as easily as misdemeanors. Generally, the only way to get a felony off of your record is with a pardon. That means that, for most people, felony convictions will be with them for the rest of their life.

There are many consequences following a felony conviction. First, while you are serving your sentence, you will not be able to exercise your right to vote. After your sentence is finished, there are consequences that will follow you for a very long time. First, felons are not allowed to own firearms. If you previously owned firearms, you will need to dispose of them. Second, many jobs do not hire convicted felons. If it appears on your record in a job search, many jobs will either not hire you or look at the conviction very unfavorably. Finally, friends, family, and other people close to you may view you differently if they know you have a felony conviction, even for a crime like theft. They may wish to be distant from you or avoid contact entirely.

Talk to Our Maryland Theft Defense Lawyers

For a free, confidential case review, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s Baltimore theft defense lawyers at (410) 694-7291.