Theft Crimes Flashcards
(41 cards)
(1) trespassory (2) taking and carrying away (3) of personal property of another (4) with intent to steel (permanently deprive)
Larceny
trespassory taking and carrying away of another’s personal property. Need not be damaged, destroyed– only taken away.
Actus Reus Larceny
specific intent offense. Actor must have specific intent to permanently deprive at time of trespassory taking.
Mens Rea Larceny
Trespassory – nonconsensual or in absence of justification.
Actus Reus Larceny
person who secures property deceitfully acts trespassorily.
Larceny by trick
use of fraud to obtain possession of property
Larceny by trick
use of fraud to obtain title.
false pretenses
is not concerned with ownership interests but possessory interests.
Larceny
wrongful taking of possession rather than mere custody of personal property.
Taking
person has sufficient control to use property in reasonably unrestricted manner. Possession may be actual (physical control) or constructive (person does not have physical control over property but no one else has actual possession of it)
Possession
person has physical control of property but right to use it is substantially restricted by person in constructive possession of property.
Custody
Generally, person has ______ rather than possession of property if she has temporary and limited right to use property in possessor’s presence.
custody
Employer to employee – when employer furnishes personal property to employee for use in employment, common-law rule is that employer retains _________ ________ of property. Employee has mere custody.
constructive possession
Premise that employee has limited control over property because of employment does not apply when employee receives property from person who has no special authority over employee but wants property delivered to employee’s boss.
Employee who obtains property from third person for delivery to Employer takes lawful possession upon delivery. Employee cannot be convicted of larceny of property if carries it away. This is where embezzlement fills in the gaps.
Bailments: breaking bulk doctrine – when bailee is entrusted by bailor with container for delivery to another, bailee receives possession of container, mere custody of contents. If bailee wrongfully opens container and removes contents (breaks bulk) he takes possession of contents at that moment. Becomes larceny.
Third Person (Larceny Custody v. Possession)
arises when owner, while retaining title, delivers personal property to another for particular purpose upon express or implied contract
Bailment
person not guilty of larceny unless he carries away property. Virtually all movement of property away from place where possession was taken = carrying away. Must be carrying away movement. If no carrying away movement, attempted larceny.
Carrying away (asportation)
Common-law larceny only applied to ______ _______, not realty or intangible property.
Of another = the person who has possession of the property. Ownership is not key.
personal property
Person not guilty of larceny when he wrongfully takes and carries away another’s property unless he possesses specific intent to steal or permanently deprive.
Larceny Mens Rea
in general, intent to steal must concur with taking of property
Concurrence requirement
This legal fiction provides that when person trespassorily takes possession of property, she commits a new trespass every moment she retains wrongful possession of it. Even if wrongdoer does not have intent to steal property when she originally trespassorily takes possession, the concurrence requirement is met if she later decides to steal property.
Continuing trespass doctrine.
Statutory offense created because of the limitations of common-law larceny.
Embezzlement
Generally, offense requires proof of:
Manner of obtaining possession – embezzlement occurs when defendant takes possession of another’s personal property in lawful, non-trespassory manner.
Conversion – after securing lawful possession of property, defendant converts property to his own use. (I.e. uses property in way that manifests intention to permanently deprive).
Entrustment – defendant must have obtained possession as a result of entrustment by another.
Embezzlement
Line between offenses thin. Depends on state of mind of actor at time he takes possession of property.
Larceny v. Embezzlement
with false pretenses, victim transfers title, rather than possession to wrongdoer.
False Pretense