Theft

Theft is the broad act of stealing, that is the taking of property from another, depriving the rightful owner of the same. As all crimes are acts of deprivation, a wide variety of acts including arson, fraud, plagiarism, kidnapping, looting, piracy, extortion, counterfeiting, or vandalism could be construed as forms of theft. This ODP category therefore focuses on criminal larceny and its near-cousins. Larceny is simple theft, such as shoplifting from a store, or pickpocketing. When force or intimidation against the victim is used to effect the theft, as in a mugging or carjacking, the charge is robbery. Burglary, on the other hand, entails the breaking and entering a structure, usually by stealth and usually to commit a theft or other crime. Embezzlement is the misappropriation of property which has been entrusted with an individual, by that individual, for his or her own use.