Can I be held accountable for unknowingly receiving stolen property?
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Can I be held accountable for unknowingly receiving stolen property?
Asked on January 22, 2012 under Criminal Law, Texas
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
The charge of receiving stolen property requires that you received the property with knowledge that it was stolen. Criminal charges require both the physical act and the requisite mental state. The physical act here is receiving the property. The requisite mental state is knowing that the property was stolen. The prosecutor has to prove both the physical act and the mental element beyond a reasonable doubt in order to get a conviction.
The facts may provide evidence of your knowledge that the property you received was stolen. For example, someone sells you a new TV out of the trunk of a car for one dollar. That would indicate that something is wrong and that the TV was probably stolen.
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