Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

Re: Paying for stolen items

Let me see if I understand this.

You asked your friend to buy something, which she did. She gave that thing to you. Later, you both find out that the thing was stolen, so you gave it to the police. Now your friend wants reimbursement from you for the money she paid for the thing you gave to the police. And now, you want to know if you can give her some money without breaking any laws.

If that is a correct synopsis of the situation, then in my opinion, you CAN give her money to take care of her losses.

The charge of receiving stolen property requires that you received something knowing that it was stolen. When you received the thing, you did not know it was stolen, and when you discovered that, you turned it in to the police. I can't see you facing criminal liability for that. And, I don't think your payment now exposes you to any criminal liability, etiher. You're just compensating your friend for her innocent losses.

If there's something I missed in my synopsis, however, then all bets are off.

Good luck.