Breaking

Latest criminal justice updates and case developments

GAVELDAILY
Latest Coverage

Latest Cases & Updates

Rights explainers, case coverage, and defense-oriented reporting.

Across the industry

Criminal justice wire

Criminal justice reporting and court developments from established newsrooms. Agency announcements are labeled; charges and allegations are not findings of guilt.

From the Gavel Daily newsroom

AllJuvenile CrimesWhite Collar CrimePlea BargainsDrug OffensesAssaultDomestic ViolenceFederal CrimesDUI/DWITheft & FraudExpungement
Felony Theft Amount by State and How Value Decides Your Charge
Theft & FraudOct 12

Felony Theft Amount by State and How Value Decides Your Charge

The same item, taken the same way, can be a misdemeanor in one state and a felony in the next. Here is where the felony theft line sits in 11 states, and the value, aggregation and prior-conviction rules that can move a charge across it.

Theft & FraudOct 1

Inside an Embezzlement Case, From the Employer's Audit to Restitution

Most embezzlement cases begin with an internal audit or HR meeting, not an arrest. Here is how the case moves from that first interview to charging, plea talks, sentencing and restitution, and the choices that shape the outcome at each stage.

Gavel Daily EditorialRead
Theft & FraudSep 20

How a Real Warrant Reaches You (and Why It Never Calls)

A caller says there is a warrant for a missed court date and a payment will clear it. Real warrants are signed paper in a court file, served by mail, in person, or by an officer. Here is how the document is created, how a missed appearance actually escalates, and the free clerk of court check that tells you where you stand.

Gavel Daily EditorialRead
Theft & FraudSep 10

Should You Pay the Letter a Store Sent After a Shoplifting Stop?

A letter demanding a few hundred dollars after a shoplifting stop is not a fine or a court order. Learn what paying does and does not do, what ignoring it risks, and when to call a lawyer first.

Gavel Daily EditorialRead
Theft & FraudSep 7

The Dollar Line Between Misdemeanor and Felony Theft, State by State

The same item taken from the same shelf is a misdemeanor in one state and a felony across the state line. Here are the verified dollar thresholds in seven states, plus the three mechanisms that move a case over the felony line no matter what the receipt says.

Gavel Daily EditorialRead