Legal Question in Criminal Law in Alabama

The range of punishment for theft by fraudulent leasing in Alabama depends on the value of the lease or rental agreement. For lease items of less than $500, it is a Class A misdemeanor which is punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $6,000. For leases of $500 or more, it is a Class C felony, which is punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. If you have prior felony convictions, the sentence could be even higher under the Alabama Habitual Felony Offender Act.

While the statute on theft by fraudulent leasing is written broadly and can be used to charge a lot of people with a crime, there are a number of defenses which can be raised in a case like this. For example, this statute is sometimes misused by leasing companies to go after people who were simply unable to comply with the terms of a lease, which is not permitted by law. In some cases, you may even be able to get the case dismissed without a trial. However, to assert those pretrial defenses or to successfully argue any trial defenses in court, you are going to need to hire an attorney to get to work on the case right away. Do not go to court thinking you can handle this yourself, unless you want to have a criminal conviction on your record. Many people wind up with convictions on their records for this charge simply because they didn't take it seriously. Go see an experienced criminal defense lawyer right away to see if he or she can help you.

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