§ 155.25 Petit Larceny.
A person is guilty of petit larceny when he steals property.
Petit larceny penalties are as a class A misdemeanor.
Overview: Petit Larceny is a New York’s most basic theft law. Anytime you’ve been
accused of stealing property in New York regardless of how much or little was stolen, you can be charged with Petit Larceny. The stolen property could be anything of value such as clothing from a store (shoplifting) or money from someone’s bank account. Petit larceny can be charged when something is directly take or when the theft is the result of a fraud or trick. You can be charged with stealing property only when you intended to permanently derive the owner so simply handling someone else’s property without trying to steal it isn’t illegal. Stealing happens when property is taken, obtained, or withheld from the owner and without the owner’s consent and in a manner inconsistent with the owner’s rights. So, if you try on a sweater inside a retail store, you shouldn’t be charged with larceny. If, after trying it on, you place it in a personal bag, you might be charged with larceny because concealment is consistent with hiding it from the owner which could be done to avoid paying.
(You can read more about Larceny here)
