Criminal Defense Attorney in South Pasadena, CA
A theft charge can follow you into every job application and background check. I focus on the weak points that decide these cases: criminal intent, the strength of the evidence, and the resolutions that keep a conviction off your record.
Theft charges turn on intent, and intent is often the hardest thing for the prosecution to prove. Whether it's petty theft, shoplifting, or grand theft, these cases frequently involve mistakes, misunderstandings, borrowed property, or missing documentation, and those details matter.
Under Proposition 47, many thefts of $950 or less are misdemeanors rather than felonies, which can significantly change your exposure.
A theft conviction carries consequences that outlast the sentence:
Those long-term costs are exactly why early strategy matters. Even where the evidence is strong, there are options. I negotiate restitution, diversion, and alternative resolutions designed to keep a conviction off your record and preserve your future. Where the evidence is weak, I fight it, from suppression motions through trial.
From the first meeting, my goal is to protect your record, your livelihood, and your rights, not just to resolve the immediate charge.