Home › Theft & dishonesty › Receiving stolen property
The whole idea in one picture
This offence isn't about stealing — it's about what you did with stolen goods, and whether you should have known. The suspicious bargain is where it usually begins.
It covers receiving, possessing, disposing of, or helping to hide stolen goods. Common examples:
The stolen item usually leads police straight to whoever's holding it:
Where it's heard depends on the value and your history:
Penalties where you are
Charged as receiving stolen property. Under $5,000, it can stay in the Local Court, up to 2 years.
The case usually turns on what you knew, or whether you received the goods at all:
Nothing pointed to the goods being stolen.
You had good reason to think they were lawfully owned.
You didn't physically receive or control the item.
You believed you had a genuine claim to it.
What you knew, or could reasonably have suspected, is the whole case — and it's often genuinely arguable. We can point you to lawyers in your state.
Read this first
This page explains how these charges generally work — it can't tell you what will happen in your case. Receiving is charged under each state's theft or handling laws, and penalties vary. If you're under investigation or charged, talk to a criminal lawyer before answering questions.
