Piscataway ranks third in population in Middlesex County and many retailers making it a fertile municipality for shoplifting charges. We are certainly in tune with this circumstance as one of the defense attorneys who make up one of the state’s largest criminal firms and have an office in Piscataway. Whether you were arrested at Walmart, Stop and Shop, Shop Rite, Lowe’s Home Improvement or another store in Piscataway, being charged with retail theft can have significant consequences. Aside from the penalties that apply under the New Jersey Shoplifting Law, you will be left with a record for stealing which can cause irreparable harm to your ability to secure employment and in other efforts. A lawyer who has considerable experience handling shoplifting in Piscataway Municipal Court and at the Superior Court in New Brunswick is going to provide you with the greatest opportunity to avert these ramifications. This is the level of service that the lawyers at Marshall Law can provide you with former prosecutors that possess over a century of combined experience to represent you. Attorneys are ready to assist you immediately by calling 732-392-7202.
Shoplifting Offense in Piscataway New Jersey
Whether you are facing a disorderly persons offense, fourth degree, third degree or second degree crime for shoplifting, your guilt or innocence will hinge on whether you violated N.J.S.A. 2C:20-11. This statute outlines specific types of conduct that can result in a Piscataway shoplifting conviction, including:
- Removing merchandise from a store in order to deprive the benefit of the goods;
- Concealing merchandise
- Swapping or changing price tags to deprive the owner of the true value of the merchandise;
- Putting the merchandise in a box or container other than the original one in order to distort the value of the property;
- Under-ringing; or
- Removing a shopping cart from the merchant’s property.
While all of these acts represent efforts to shoplift under 2C:20-11, the severity of the offense is predicated on the value of the property stolen. If the value is less than $200, the charge is a disorderly persons offense that is handled in the municipal court of Piscataway. All thefts involving property of a higher value are felony violations, are indictable in nature, and must be referred to the Criminal Division of the Middlesex County Superior Court in New Brunswick. Shoplifting merchandise with a value of at least $200 but less than $500 is a fourth degree crime; at least $500 but less than $75,000 is a third degree crime; and $75,000 or more is a second degree crime.
| Grade of Offense | Fine | Incarceration |
| Disorderly Persons Offense | Up to $1,000 | Up to 6 Months Jail |
| Fourth Degree Crime | Up to $10,000 | Up to 18 Months in Prison |
| Third Degree Crime | Up to $15,000 | Up to 5 Years in Prison |
| Second Degree Crime | Up to $75,000 | 5-10 Years in Prison |
Piscataway NJ Shoplifting Defense Attorney
Although Piscataway does not have an issue as extreme as shoplifting in Woodbridge, the municipality nevertheless does have many individuals issued a 2C:20-11 charge annually. Our team of shoplifting defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall have decades of experience successfully fighting disorderly persons and indictable charges of this nature. To speak to a defense lawyer about your situation, contact the Piscataway Law Office anytime 24/7. An attorney is available immediately by calling 732-392-7202.
