These are crimes where there has been the removal of real property from the possession of the legal owner.  These crimes can range from petty theft to felony theft.  Petty theft would be for anything under a certain value.  In most states, this ranges from $500 to $1000 in value.  Anything under that amount is considered a misdemeanor and usually punishable by a fine and/or 30 days or less in a county prison.  Sometimes probation or community service can be given for these misdemeanor offenses.  Larger theft crimes, such as the theft of a vehicle, an expensive piece of jewelry, artwork or other valuable items can be charged as a Felony.  Felony theft can come with steep penalties, depending on how the theft occurred and the value of the item or items taken.  Punishment can range from fines and short term (under 1 year) imprisonment, to long term imprisonment. 

There is also the classification of intellectual property theft.  Such as movies, music, written material or software programs.   These can have fairly high fines, between $5000 to $10000 and up to 5 years in a federal prison.  You can be charged with of one of these crimes by something as simple as downloading a movie off of the Internet.  As the Internet expands into more and more of our lives, the definitions of theft of intellectual property grows, as do the punishments.   They are serious crimes with serious penalties and anyone can inadvertently find themselves guilty.  It is important if you are charged with a crime of theft of either real property or intellectual property that you contact your Lawyer immediately.  Your lawyer can inform you of your rights under the law, can help you fight the charges against you.  Your lawyer can also help you regain your property taken if it has been impounded as a result of the charges against you.