New Jersey bill clarifies theft law on aggregating stolen property values

9

TRENTON, N.J. — New legislation seeks to amend New Jersey’s theft statutes by clarifying how the value of stolen property can be aggregated to determine the severity of charges.

Under current law, the value of stolen property may be combined if the thefts were committed as part of “one scheme or course of conduct.” The new bill expands the definition of that phrase to include multiple criminal episodes or transactions, whether they involve the same or several victims, and whether they occur within one or several counties.

The bill further states that evidence showing multiple episodes constitute a single scheme may include factors such as involvement of the same defendant or defendants, substantial similarity in the nature of the acts, and whether the acts…