A person commits the criminal offense (crime) of theft—also known as stealing—by unlawfully taking or appropriating the property of another person or entity with the intent to deprive the owner of the property.
Taking or appropriating property is generally unlawful if it is done without the owner's effective consent—for example, if the property was taken by threat, deception, or extortion.
In Virginia, theft, also referred to as larceny, is defined under the Virginia Code as the unlawful taking of someone else's property with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of it. The state differentiates between petit larceny and grand larceny based on the value of the stolen property or the nature of the item taken. Petit larceny involves the theft of goods valued at less than $1,000 and is considered a misdemeanor, while grand larceny involves goods valued at $1,000 or more, or the theft of certain items like firearms, and is classified as a felony. The act of taking must be without the owner's consent, and it can be through various means such as threat, deception, or extortion. The specific statutes detailing theft offenses in Virginia can be found in Sections 18.2-95 to 18.2-103 of the Virginia Code.