Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California
pawning stolen property
a ''friend'' stole a persons jewelry, and asked me to help them pawn or sell it since they had no id at the time. I did so not knowing how the jewelry was obtained. I was told that it was theirs or family members that passed away. What can happen to me legally?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: pawning stolen property
Contrary to the advise of Mr. Shers you should not contact the pawn broker. Rather you should retain an attorney to assist you in this matter. Further do not discuss this matter with anyone other than your attorney.
Re: pawning stolen property
If you reasonably should have know it was stolen, you have violated the criminal law. His lacking any ID suggests something was wrong. That you were willing to misrepresent to the pawn broker who the owner of the property was implies honesty is not a prime concern.
It is very likely that nothing will happen. Find out from your friend allthe details of what occurred, perhaps apologize to the pawn broker over the phone calling from a pay phone and find out what he knows. If it seems that not everything has been resolved, make an anomyous call to the police to see if they are even bothering to work up the matter or are ignoring it to go after worse criminals. If doing that does not resolve the worries yu have, see a criminal defense lawyer to see whta they think needs to be done and how much it will cost [likely will want a $5,000 retainer and will bill $500 per hour].
Related Questions & Answers
Looking for something else?
10,200 active attorneys ready to answer your legal questions today.
Featured Attorneys
Earn additional revenue and grow your business.
