2023 District of Columbia Code › Title 22 - Criminal Offenses and Penalties › Chapter 32 - Theft; Fraud; Stolen Property; Forgery; and Extortion › Subchapter II - Theft; Related Offenses › § 22–3212. Penalties for theft

§ 22–3212. Penalties for theft.
(a) Theft in the first degree. — Any person convicted of theft in the first degree shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both, if the value of the property obtained or used is $1,000 or more.
(b) Theft in the second degree. — Any person convicted of theft in the second degree shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisoned for not more than 180 days, or both, if the property obtained or used has some value.
(c) A person convicted of theft in the first or second degree who has 2 or more prior convictions for theft, not committed on the same occasion, shall be fined not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or imprisoned for not more than 15 years and for a mandatory-minimum term of not less than one year, or both. A person sentenced under this subsection shall not be released from prison, granted probation, or granted suspension of sentence, prior to serving the mandatory-minimum.
(d) For the purposes of this section, a person shall be considered as having 2 or more prior convictions for theft if he or she has been convicted on at least 2 occasions of violations of:
(1) Section 22-3211;
(2) A statute in one or more jurisdictions prohibiting theft or larceny; or
(3) Conduct that would constitute a violation of section 22-3211 if committed in the District of Columbia.
(Dec. 1, 1982, D.C. Law 4-164, § 112, 29 DCR 3976; Aug. 20, 1994, D.C. Law 10-151, § 113(a), 41 DCR 2608; June 3, 1997, D.C. Law 11-275, § 12(b), 44 DCR 1408; Dec. 10, 2009, D.C. Law 18-88, § 214(d), 56 DCR 7413; June 11, 2013, D.C. Law 19-317, § 205(a), 60 DCR 2064; Nov. 23, 2016, D.C. Law 21-166, § 2(a), 63 DCR 10733.)
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 22-3812.
Effect of Amendments
D.C. Law 18-88, in subsec. (a), substituted “$1,000” for “$250”; in subsec. (b), substituted “if the property obtained or used has some value” for “if the value of the property obtained or used is less than $250”; and added subsecs. (c) and (d).
The 2013 amendment by D.C. Law 19-317 substituted “not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01” for “not more than $5,000” in (a) and (c), and for “not more than $1,000” in (b).
Emergency Legislation
For temporary amendment of section, see § 113(a) of the Omnibus Criminal Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 1994 (D.C. Act 10-255, June 22, 1994, 41 DCR 4286).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 214(d) of Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-181, August 6, 2009, 56 DCR 6903).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 214(d) of Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-227, October 21, 2009, 56 DCR 8668).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 205(a) of the Criminal Fine Proportionality Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-45, April 1, 2013, 60 DCR 5400, 20 DCSTAT 1300).
Editor's Notes
Applicability of D.C. Law 19-317: Section 401 of D.C. Law 19-317 provided that the act shall apply only to offenses committed on or after June 11, 2013.