Larceny, << LAHR suh nee, >> is the crime of stealing a person’s money or other personal property. Larceny is a nonviolent crime. It thus differs from robbery, in which a thief uses violence or the threat of violence to take another’s property. Examples of larceny include bicycle theft, pickpocketing, and shoplifting.
The laws of most states of the United States divide larceny into two classes, grand and petty (sometimes spelled petit). In many states, a thief who steals money or goods worth $500 or more has committed grand larceny. A theft of property worth less than $500 is petty larceny. The dividing line between grand and petty larceny varies from state to state. The laws of some states classify as grand larceny the theft of automobiles, firearms, livestock, or certain other property, regardless of value.
Grand larceny, a type of crime called a felony, is punishable by imprisonment for a year or more. The penalty in most cases of petty larceny, a less serious type of offense called a misdemeanor, is a jail sentence of less than a year.
