What to do if my boyfriend bought a phone off the street for $200 but when he brought it home, he realized that it had been stolen?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What to do if my boyfriend bought a phone off the street for $200 but when he brought it home, he realized that it had been stolen?
We called the phone number on the phone to return the phone to the owner, because she said that she would pay us the $200 we spent on the phone, she just wanted it back. when we went to meet her to return the phone my boyfriend got arrested. The police told us if we set the man up who stole the phone,they may reduce my boyfriends charge which is supposed to be a felony. maybe. I don’t want to put our family at risk by setting the man up if they dont even drop his charges. It seems like the police are trying to use us. What do we do?
Asked on April 2, 2014 under Criminal Law, Florida
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
Get a criminal defense attorney *IMMEDIATELY*. If your boyfriend did not know the phone was stolen, he likely did not commit a crime (you only commit a crime is you had a criminal intention or state of mind)--making the arrest improper and leaving the police with no leverage. However, you and he will need experienced criminal defense counsel to help show that this was the case and get the charges dropped.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.