What is the penalty for stealing electricity?
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What is the penalty for stealing electricity?
In NV.
Asked on November 10, 2010 under Criminal Law, Nevada
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 14 years ago | Contributor
Theft crimes of all types--whether goods or services, or whether tangible property or intangible (e.g. intellectual property) tend be classified more by the amount of the theft than by the type of good or service--though note that there are circumstances that can exacerbate a crime. For example, stealing money by identify theft adds a second crime (identify theft) to the first one (theft); and, of course, many crimes are exacerbated by the use of a weapon or threat of violence.
So there is no single answer to your question. Depending on the circumstances and the amount stolen, it could be a misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in jail) or a felony (punishable by more than one year). Probably, if the amount stolen is a few hundred dollars, it'd be a midemeanor; several thousand, a felony; if identify theft was involved, that'd probably be a felony; and, of course, the utility could also sue you for the value of the electricity stolen.
Here's link to Nevada statutes online; try looking under Chapter 205 or Chapter 207 for a crime that matches what was done in this case: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/
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