Robbery is considered a serious offence and is treated as felony in the United States. Based on the location of the robbery and the equipment involved, this offence can be of three degrees. In normal situations a person is said to have committed a crime if he unlawfully and intentionally takes property or money from somebody and does so by assaulting, using violence, using threats or force. People who are being charged with the crime of robbery need to talk to a criminal defense lawyer immediately.
The types of robbery
The crime has five variations, out of which a pickpocket or sudden snatching is the least serious. This is charged when a person snatches the purse or property of another individual. A third degree felony is indicted when there is no weapon involvement. When found guilty a judge has all the power to convict the offender with any one or a combination of up to 5 years of probation, up to 5 years in jail or up to $5,000 as fine.
When the crime involves a deadly weapon or a firearm and when there is carjacking or break in of the home then they are first degree felonies that can leave the accused with minimum fine and /or sentence.
The outcome
Robbery committed with a weapon comes next to homicide in the list of most serious offences. With that said, it is not necessary that the accused use the weapon to be charged, the act of possessing the weapon during the robbery is reason enough. An additional charge is slapped if the weapon is a firearm. A minimum mandatory prison sentence is guaranteed if convicted.
You can be assured to be given a punishment that will require to serve prison time or/and fines irrespective of the degree of crime because robbery is considered serious. Also this will be recorded and will haunt you forever making it a struggle to even find employment. Some employers are forgiving and do hire ex-convicts, however they may not be as liberal with individuals who have committed such serious crimes in the past.
Getting legal help
It is vital that you start looking for a criminal lawyer as soon as you are accused because the state would start working on their defense immediately and therefore time is crucial. Law firms review the case and then assign teams that are qualified for various procedures such as reviewing evidence, interviewing witnesses and to follow procedures. This also requires time.
Building defenses
The fact is that nobody is perfect. People make mistakes and sometimes you can be wrongly accused too. An experienced attorney would be looking into inconsistencies of witnesses in their testimony. A person who knows what he is doing will be able to secure a charge that is lesser during the plea bargain. This is why it is vital to use the services of a reputed lawyer.