Penalties for a theft conviction vary based on the value of the item or items taken.  Theft can be classified as a petty, misdemeanor or felony offense.  There are also different levels of petty, misdemeanor or felony offenses under Colorado law.  The circumstances of the allegations can also have an impact on the penalties.  For example, a conviction for theft of property directly from a person carries a harsher penalty than theft of property that is not currently in physical control of the person.   Likewise, theft by use of a weapon, threat or intimidation carries a harsher sentence than mere theft and can also require a mandatory prison or jail sentence.  The most up to date penalties can be found in Colorado Revised Statutes 18-4-401(2).  The following table helps illustrate the penalties that are current as of the date of this writing. 

 

Class

Minimum

Maximum

Mandatory Period

of Parole

Class 3

Felony

Four years imprisonment

Fine $20,000

Twelve years imprisonment

No limit on fine

Five years after release

Class 4 Felony

Two Years imprisonment

Fine $1,000

Six years imprisonment

Fine $20,000

Three years after release

Class 1

Misdemeanor

Six months imprisonment, or five hundred dollar fine, or both

Eighteen months imprisonment, or five thousand dollars fine, or both

 

Class 2 Misdemeanor

Three months imprisonment, or two hundred fifty dollars fine, or both

Twelve months imprisonment, or one thousand dollars fine, or both

 

Class 3 Misdemeanor

Fifty dollars fine

Three Years Imprisonment

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colorado Revised Statute 18-4-401 (2) Penalties for Theft

(a) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2007, p. 1690, § 3, effective July 1, 2007.)

(b) A class 2 misdemeanor if the value of the thing involved is less than five hundred dollars;

(b.5) A class 1 misdemeanor if the value of the thing involved is five hundred dollars or more but less than one thousand dollars;

(c) A class 4 felony if the value of the thing involved is one thousand dollars or more but less than twenty thousand dollars;

(d) A class 3 felony if the value of the thing involved is twenty thousand dollars or more.