I represented a client today in the Bridgewater Municipal Court who was charged with shoplifting under N.J.S.A. 2C:20-11, a disorderly persons offense. The client was facing the following if convicted: A $1,000 fine, up to six (6) months in the county jail, and a permanent criminal charge on his record. Furthermore, our client was in the country on a visa and was not a citizen. In fact, he was in the process of filing for his citizenship after being in the country for twenty years. He had no prior criminal record. If he was convicted of shoplifting in New Jersey, which is considered a “crime of moral terpitude”, he would most likely be denied his citizenship and could even be deported from the country.
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