HB 2751 raises the threshold for property crimes to be charged as a felony to $1,000. It includes charges for the following theft crimes: embezzlement, bogus check, taking by false pretenses, receiving or concealing stolen property, forged or counterfeited instrument, larceny, and shoplifting (third and subsequent offense).
Grand larceny will be defined as the unlawful taking of property valued at over $1,000. Petit larceny is property taken that is valued at $1,000 or less.
Succinctly: it’s a felony if you steal over $1,000 worth of stuff.
I think this will greatly cut down on the amount of cases charged as felonies, so this is a good bill. No telling the last time this threshold was moved, so it makes sense to move it every once in a while to account for inflation.
Although what would have been charged as a felony will now be charged as a misdemeanor, it’s still not a good thing to have a theft conviction on your record. Theft is a crime of moral turpitude, which puts it a category of crimes that is worse than the other category. It will be more difficult–if not impossible–to get a job where you’re dealing with money if you have a conviction for a crime of moral turpitude on your record.
The text of HB 2751 can be found here. It goes into effect November 1, 2016.
This bill amends numerous sections in Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes.