Mesa, Arizona – On December 26, 2012 the San Francisco Chronical published a news story on two Arizona carpet cleaners who had allegedly stolen over $30,000 worth of jewelry from customers' homes in the Phoenix Metropolitan area.

According to the police, J.B. and K. B. are being detained on suspicion of theft and trafficking in stolen property. The two men allegedly stole jewelry from a number of their customers' homes in order to sell as scrap metal between the months of July and December. According to the police, the two men admitted to stealing from a number of customers who all lived in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Fountain Hills.

The police say that so far six customers have been identified as victims who discovered their jewelry was missing after they had their carpets cleaned by the alleged thieves. The owner of the carpet cleaning business claims that he wasn't aware of the thefts and has been cooperating with the police and their investigation into the jewelry heists.

Under Section 13-1802 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, a person commits theft when without lawful authority they: 1) control the property of another with the intention of depriving the person of their property, 2) obtain the services or property of another by means of misrepresentation and with the intent of depriving that person of such property or services, 3) knowingly uses or controls stolen property, or 4) obtains services without paying for them.

Under § 13-1802, theft of property or services valued at or greater than $25,000 is a Class 2 felony, theft of property or serves of $4,000 but less than $25,000 is a Class 3 felony, theft of property or services valued between $3,000 but less than $4,000 is a Class 4 felony, theft of property or services valued at $2,000 but less than $3,000 is a Class 5 felony, and theft of property or services valued at $1,000 but less than $2,000 is a Class 6 felony offense.

In Arizona, when the property or goods are valued less than $1,000, it is prosecuted as a Class 1 misdemeanor unless the property stolen is a firearm or an animal for the purpose of animal fighting under §13-2910.01, which is a Class 6 felony offense.

If you or someone you care about has been arrested for any misdemeanor or felony theft crime, we urge you to contact the Law Offices of Randall J. Craig, PLLC. Our lead attorney, Randall J. Craig is not only a former prosecutor, but he has appeared as a legal analyst for such media outlets as Fox TV, NBC, and other major networks. Conveniently located in Scottsdale, Arizona, we serve all courts in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. To learn more about our criminal defense areas of practice, please contact our office to schedule a free consultation today.