Celebrities and Shoplifing: What Models, Actresses and Petty Thieves Have in Common

Posted on April 21, 2008
Filed Under Celebrities, Criminal Law, Law, Laws, Los Angeles, News, Three Strikes |

Theft and petty crime are a major issue in America.  Over the last decade, NASA by itself has lost $94 million in office items that disappeared!  Even celebrities have been caught in petty theft, with both Winona Ryder and Bai Ling getting arrested for taking things which were not necessarily theirs.

In 2002, Winona Ryder was charged of walking out of Saks Fifth Avenue with over $4,700 worth of merchandise without paying for it.  She was caught on security cameras slipping items into her purse and handbags.  She was freed on $20,000 bail which is not a tall order for the actress, but for most individuals it would mean a night or two in jail until the individual could sit before a judge.

Bai Ling was arrested this year, also for shoplifting, but not at a glamorous Rodeo Drive boutique, rather at a gift shop in the Los Angeles International Airport.  She didn’t steal too much of value, just a couple of celebrity magazines and some batteries.  Worst of all for the actress/model, she was placed under citizen’s arrest by a shop employee.

Shoplifting can be a dangerous crime, as it can sometimes be deemed a “strike” under California’s three strike laws.  One individual in the 90’s was sentenced to 50 years in prison because his third strike was stealing $300 in video tapes from K-Mart.

Another major issue to keep in mind is that there are citizen’s groups and individuals who work as a sort of private security force who police shoplifters along with the police themselves.  They are often termed “loss prevention personnel” and can detain individuals and site them various dollar amounts.  While these individuals aren’t members of law enforcement, if they aren’t complied with, that can lead to fines or jail time.

The merritts of treating petty theft as a possible “three strikes” violation has long been debated, but until the laws are changed, any individual who violates these laws needs to be aware of the possible penalties.  Jail time for the third strike can reach 25 - 50 years for nothing more than stealing three golf clubs, some video tapes or other items.

Written by Joe M

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