Credit and debit cards have become increasingly common and are now the rule more than the exception when paying for goods or services. So, it is no surprise that credit card and debit card fraud are among the most common examples of white-collar crime. It generally...
Theft and Economic Crimes
What if a partner steals from the business?
Business partnerships are a lot like a marriage or a family. There is a relationship with common interests, similar goals, and shared history, and like a marriage or family, there are disagreements. Sometimes, there may be hostility built over a series of...
Castle Rock burglar gets 20 years
Michael Loupe, 47, posed as a fire inspector and burgled several businesses in Castle Rock before getting caught in February 2020. He initially posed as the inspector and would then disable the security. He would later return after closing to steal from safes. He was...
Lots of names, but one vast criminal law universe
Alleged online criminal behavior. Targeted computer-based offenses. Cyber crime. Are those … what? The same? Somehow different? Many Colorado residents who follow criminal law stories and legal updates might find those posed questions to be linked with an obvious...
Retailer momentum: a move to ratchet up shoplifting penalties
Six months in prison for a homeless man pilfering socks from a department store? A 10-month term behind bars for a woman with cancer who stole $100 worth of food from a grocery outlet? A felony conviction for a defendant who was arrested after shoplifting items valued...
White collar crime: aggressively probed and prosecuted
Many readers of this forum’s criminal law blog posts have likely heard the lament that persons convicted of so-called “white collar” criminal offenses in Colorado and nationally secure comparatively lenient sentencing outcomes. That is, it often seems the case that an...
The fundamentals of a Colorado criminal mischief charge
Smashing a car window out of anger. Defacing a business by spraying graffiti across its entrance. Starting a fire that destroys a homeowner’s property. Slashing the tires of a municipal or school bus.As varied as all those acts are, isn’t there something fundamentally...
Burglary: an often misunderstood criminal charge
Even many law school students fail when it comes to properly assessing whether a criminal charge of burglary makes sense in a given case.Indeed, what is burglary?Here’s a common perception as to what burglary entails: You stole something, so the burglary charge...
Theft by receiving: Do you have to do the taking to be charged?
Colorado readers of our blogs at the established Denver criminal defense firm of Shazam Kianpour & Associates likely see the following types of scenarios routinely play out on television crime dramas. The guy with a suitcase full of Rolex watches, for example, who...
Colorado corrections leaders rethink the release system for inmates
After nearly a year in his position as the Colorado Department of Corrections Director, Dean Williams is already looking to make a difference in the prison system. There is a concern for how well inmates adjust to life on the outside once released, especially in the...