During my time as a Michigan criminal defense attorney, I've had a lot of cases where I just shake my head at the actions of my clients. I had one client who was an international medical student who was in town to study in Ann Arbor for some final exams. He was not a citizen of the United States, and simply decided to checkout Ann Arbor and take care of some school work. While in town, he decided to go to a local supermarket and do some shopping. Unfortunately for my client, he made the decision to pay for some of his items, but attempted to leave the store with unpaid Gatorades. He was stopped by Loss Prevention, arrested by the Ann Arbor Police Department and charged with Michigan Retail Fraud.
This medical student had no criminal history and was overall an excellent young man. His decision not to pay for a few Gatorades almost cost him his career as a doctor. Lucky I was able to secure a first offender program for him, which will allow him to go forward with no criminal record as long as he complies with probation. I was also able to get him a reduced plea to a crime that would not jeopardize his ability to apply for citizenship down the road, and he was able to report to probation via email and telephone.
So lesson of this case is just pay for your Gatorade.
For more information on Michigan Retail Fraud, read my complete guide.
This medical student had no criminal history and was overall an excellent young man. His decision not to pay for a few Gatorades almost cost him his career as a doctor. Lucky I was able to secure a first offender program for him, which will allow him to go forward with no criminal record as long as he complies with probation. I was also able to get him a reduced plea to a crime that would not jeopardize his ability to apply for citizenship down the road, and he was able to report to probation via email and telephone.
So lesson of this case is just pay for your Gatorade.
For more information on Michigan Retail Fraud, read my complete guide.
