Windsor Theft Under $5000 Lawyers

Theft occurs when an individual takes an item or something else of value that they do not have a legal right to. Theft can occur in a wide variety of circumstances. For example, theft can include shoplifting, stealing another person’s car, stealing a pet or other animal, time theft at work, stealing services or stealing directly from another person. Donich Law has experience representing a wide variety of theft situations.

In 2016, our Firm provided legal representation for an individual accused of involvement in a well-organized theft operation that targeted multiple retail establishments across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), as seen in R. v. K.L. [2015]. The accused came under the scrutiny of law enforcement after being reported by the loss prevention staff at both Target and Staples stores. Through negotiations with the Crown during pre-trial proceedings, our Firm successfully achieved the withdrawal of eight charges related to theft and fraud.

In 2015, our Firm provided legal counsel to a client who was facing charges of theft and fraud under $5,000 in R. v. G.G. [2015]. The accused, who worked as a bank teller at a prominent Canadian bank, was accused of embezzling money while performing their duties. The bank’s vigilant loss prevention team detected the suspicious activities and promptly reported the employee to their management, who subsequently involved law enforcement authorities. Our Firm successfully resolved the case by raising significant doubts about crucial pieces of evidence against the accused, resulting in the withdrawal of all charges.

In 2016, Donich Law provided legal representation for a licensed physician who faced allegations of shoplifting clothing from The Bay in R. v. S.Y. [2016]. The client was apprehended by store loss prevention staff while purportedly trying to exit the store with approximately $3,000 worth of unpaid merchandise. Given the client’s status as a regulated professional, there were potential ramifications from their governing regulatory body. Our Firm successfully obtained a withdrawal of the charges, leading to the destruction of the client’s fingerprints and photographs, thus safeguarding their professional standing from any adverse consequences.

In 2020, the Firm effectively represented a client who was facing accusations of involvement in a fraud and theft scheme connected to Home Depot stores, as documented in the case of R. v. M.K. [2020]. The suspicions emerged when the Home Depot’s loss prevention staff initiated an inquiry due to their suspicion that a customer was pilfering items and subsequently returning them to the store for cash refunds. This prompted the loss prevention team to report the situation to the police, who conducted an investigation that led to the discovery of the theft ring. Our firm successfully resolved the case, ensuring that our client did not receive a criminal record.

Theft from one’s employer is quite common in Ontario. This includes stealing physical products from an employer and can also include what is known as time theft. An employee commits time theft when they collect wages for hours they did not work or work they did not complete. A common example of employee time theft is an employee who “clocks in” to work before they have actually started working, thus being paid for time they were not working. An individual who commits time theft may be charged with theft over or under $5,000, depending on the total alleged company loss.

In 2021, our Firm provided legal representation for two co-accused individuals who were charged with theft under $5,000 for their alleged involvement in shoplifting from a grocery store. These cases were identified as R. v. D.H. [2021] and R. v. M.S. [2021]. The accused parties were apprehended together by loss prevention personnel, with approximately $1,000 worth of unpaid products in their possession. Both were first-time offenders and relatively young. To help these individuals, our firm recommended proactive measures and engaged in negotiations with the Crown during pre-trial discussions, ultimately securing the withdrawal of charges for both clients.

In 2021, our law firm provided legal representation to an individual who faced allegations of engaging in time theft in the case of R. v. K.S. [2021]. The accused was charged with theft exceeding $5,000 and the falsification of employment records. Time theft refers to the act of falsely claiming wages for hours not actually worked, and it can manifest through various means, such as inaccurately recording work hours, manipulating an hour log without authorization, or asserting to have worked hours that were not worked. In this particular case, our client was accused of using their manager’s computer credentials to access the company system and add hours to their timesheet, resulting in an amount exceeding $15,000. Our Firm presented compelling evidence to demonstrate that the manager had willingly provided their login credentials, and the accused had indeed worked the disputed hours from home. Consequently, the Crown dropped the charges against our client.