It is a Colorado crime to receive property that you know to be stolen, even if you played no part in actually stealing the items. The penalties depend on the value of the stolen property you receive:
- Less than $300: Petty theft, carrying up to $300 and/or 10 days in jail.
- $300 to less than $2,000: Misdemeanor theft, carrying up to $1,000 in fines and/or up to 364 days in jail.
- $2,000 or more: Felony theft/grand theft, carrying $1,000 to $1,000,000 and/or 1 to 24 years in prison.
CRS § 18-4-404 states that:
Every person who obtains control over any stolen thing of value, knowing the thing of value to have been stolen by another, may be tried, convicted, and punished whether or not the principal is charged, tried, or convicted.
In this article, our Denver Colorado criminal defense attorneys will discuss:
- 1. What is receipt of stolen property in Colorado?
- 2. What are the penalties under CRS 18-4-404?
- 3. What are some strong defenses?
- 4. How soon can the case be sealed?
- Additional reading
It is a crime to receive stolen property in Colorado knowingly.
1. What is receipt of stolen property in Colorado?
Receipt of stolen property is taking possession of items you know have been stolen.1
Example: Henry tells his brother that he just stole an iPhone from a lady’s purse, and he asks the brother to hold onto it for him. If the brother agrees, he would be committing receipt of stolen property since he knows that the phone had been stolen.
If you receive property without knowing it has been stolen, you are innocent.2 Though you may be required to forfeit the property to the police.
2. What are the penalties under CRS 18-4-404?
The punishment for knowingly receiving stolen items turns on the aggregate value of the property.
| Value of the items stolen | Sentence for Receipt of Stolen Property in Colorado |
| Less than $300 | petty offense
|
| $300 to less than $1,000 | class 2 misdemeanor
|
| $1,000 to less than $2,000 | class 1 misdemeanor
|
| $2,000 to less than $5,000 | class 6 felony
|
| $5,000 to less than $20,000 | class 5 felony
|
| $20,000 to less than $100,000 | class 4 felony
|
| $100,000 to less than $1,000,000 | class 3 felony
|
| $1,000,000 or more | class 2 felony
|
Note that you can be convicted of receiving stolen property even if the person who physically stole them is never caught or convicted.4
Also note that the property owner may sue you to recover three times the owner’s damages (or $200, whichever is greater). Plus you may have to pay the cost of the lawsuit and reasonable attorney fees.5
A CRS 18-4-404 conviction stands even though the defendant did not steal the property him/herself.
3. What are some strong defenses?
The best defense to a Colorado theft by receiving charge will depend on the specific facts of the case. Seven common legal defense strategies are to argue that either:
- You are the rightful owner of the property;
- You intended to give the property back to the rightful owner;
- The property was lost or abandoned by the original owner — not stolen;
- You had no control over the stolen property;
- You had a good faith belief that the property was not stolen;
- The property was worth less than what the prosecutor says; or
- The property was found as the result of an illegal search by law enforcement peace officers or other police misconduct.
The theft charge should be dropped as long as the district attorney cannot prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
4. How soon can the case be sealed?
If the charge for receiving stolen property gets dismissed, then there is no wait under Colorado criminal law to petition the court for a record seal. Otherwise, the wait time depends on the crime category for which you were convicted. Convictions of class 2 or 3 felonies remain on your record forever.
| CRS 18-4-404 conviction | Waiting time for Colorado record seal |
| Petty offenses | 1 year after the case ends |
| Class 2 misdemeanors (and class 3 misdemeanors as they existed prior to March 1, 2022) | 2 years after the case ends |
| Class 1 misdemeanors, class 6 felonies, class 5 felonies, or class 4 felonies | 3 years after the case ends |
| Class 3 felonies or class 2 felonies ($100,000 and higher) | Never |
Learn how to seal Colorado criminal records.6
Additional reading
For more information, see our related articles by our Colorado criminal defense attorneys:
- Shoplifting (CRS 18-4-406) – stealing from a retail establishment.
- Embezzlement – stealing or misappropriating property that had been entrusted to you.
- Motor vehicle theft (CRS 18-4-409) – stealing an automobile.
- Identity theft (CRS 18-5-902) – using someone else’s personal or financial identifying information, without permission, to make a payment or to obtain anything of value.
- Theft of trade secrets (CRS 18-4-408) – stealing a trade secret, disclosing a trade secret to an unauthorized person, or making an unauthorized copy of an article representing a trade secret.
Legal References
- Colorado Revised Statute / criminal code 18-4-404 – Obtaining control over any stolen thing of value.
- See People v. Schamber, (1973) 182 Colo. 355, 513 P.2d 205.
- CRS 18-4-401.
- See Burns v. People, (1961) 148 Colo. 245, 365 P.2d 698. Prior to March 1, 2022, theft of less than $50 was a class 1 petty offense carrying up to 6 months in jail and/or up to $500 in fines; theft of $50 to less than $300 was a class 3 misdemeanor, carrying up to 6 months in jail and/or $50 to $750 in fines; theft of $300 to less than $750 was a class 2 misdemeanor, carrying 3 to 12 months in jail and/or $250 to $1,000 in fines; and theft of $750 to less than $2,000 was a class 1 misdemeanor, carrying 6 to 18 months in jail and/or $500 to $5,000 in fines. SB21-271.
- CRS 18-4-405.
- CRS 24-72-701-708.