Philadelphia Carjacking Penalties

Common carjacking scenarios involve car thefts that occur while an owner is present. Carjacking offenses typically occur at gas stations or other locations where an owner of a vehicle may pull over temporarily to perform some type of duty and while doing so, an individual pushes them away or in their presence, jumps into the vehicle and exits the premises in the vehicle.

When someone is accused of this type of theft, they could be facing serious criminal and legal consequences. Facing Philadelphia carjacking penalties should be taken seriously and addressed by a skilled carjacking attorney.

What is a Carjacking Crime in Philadelphia?

When a vehicle is taken while in the presence of the owner with the slightest amount of force or threat of force in any manner, the alleged offender could be charged with carjacking. Furthermore, when an individual  takes a vehicle they feel they have permission to, but the owner disagrees, and the owner is on site, and the individual  takes the motor vehicle and leaves the scene, that by definition is a robbery of a motor vehicle in the presence of the owner, and a carjacking charge will be followed with a criminal complaint.

How Severe is the Punishment for Car Theft Offenses?

By law, carjacking in Philadelphia, as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, can carry a charge of up to ten years in jail in Philadelphia carjacking penalties. Additionally, lesser consequences included offenses can also be charged such as theft, receiving stolen property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and any assaultive behavior that may have happened.

Carjacking is a serious crime which can easily rack up sentences that can force an individual to serve long periods of time incarcerated, long periods of time on probation and supervision, as well as thousands of dollars in fines and costs. This is why it is important for a defendant to seek the services of a knowledgeable lawyer who is capable of building defense strategies.

Long-Term Consequences of Carjacking

A carjacking charge or robbery of a motor vehicle in Pennsylvania is one of the most serious charges an individual is charged with, and if unlucky, convicted of. Carjacking in itself is a robbery coupled with a theft, receiving stolen property, and some type of assaultive behavior. Adding up those charges, a person can face long periods of time incarcerated as well as thousands of dollars of fines and costs.

It is also the type of conviction that will affect their future, reputation, and employment. An individual charged and convicted of carjacking should expect in Philadelphia to face the maximum sentences permitted by law. Sentences often start at five years’ incarceration and a $10,000 fine with long periods of probation to follow.

Potential Impact of Prior Criminal Convictions

In all cases in Pennsylvania, prior convictions contribute to a person convicted of a crime such as carjacking. When an individual has a record, the individual sentence is then aggregated and these past records can increase the person’s sentence, in some cases up to ten years or more and fines in excess of $25,000 per count.

A person’s record always plays a role in determining an appropriate sentence for a new case that the individual has been convicted of. When the new case is as serious as the robbery of a motor vehicle or carjacking, a person should expect to pay maximum Philadelphia carjacking penalties up to thousands of dollars of fines and costs as well as long periods of probation.