Criminal Mischief

Palm Beach Criminal Mischief Criminal Defense Attorney

Criminal mischief is intentional damage to property — vandalism and graffiti. You may be charged with criminal mischief if prosecutors believe you willfully and maliciously damaged any other person’s property, including personal property as well as real estate. While this is usually charged as a misdemeanor, it may be charged as a felony if it causes at least $1,000 in damage or damages a house of worship, certain prisons or telephone facilities. The charge and punishment for criminal mischief vary with the amount of damage:

• Damage is $200 or less: up to 60 days in jail
• Damage more than $200 but less than $1000: up to a year in jail
• Damage is greater than $1,000: up to five years in prison

Those convicted of placing graffiti on another’s property will be required to pay a fine of $250 to $1,000 and perform 40 to 100 hours of community service, in addition to the jail or prison penalty. Minors convicted of graffiti crimes can also have their driver’s licenses suspended for up to a year; those too young to drive will be ineligible for a driver’s license for an extra year. In many cases, juveniles charged with graffiti crimes have made a one-time mistake, which makes it all the more important to retain a Fort Lauderdale criminal mischief attorney to keep the charge from haunting them into adulthood.

If you or a loved one is charged with criminal mischief, you should call a South Florida vandalism criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. The Miami-Dade graffiti crimes criminal defense law firm of Menachem M. Mayberg , P.A., offers free, confidential consultations to potential clients. To reach us seven days a week and 24 hours a day, contact us through our Web site or call us at (305) 695-8750.

For further reading, see Florida Statute 806.13: Criminal mischief; penalties; penalty for minor.