Legal Definitions - larcenist

A larcenist is an individual who commits the crime of larceny. Larceny refers to the unlawful taking and carrying away of someone else's personal property with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of it. Essentially, a larcenist is someone who steals property.

Here are a few examples to illustrate this term:

• Example 1: Shoplifting

  Imagine a person walking into a department store, picking up a designer handbag, and then concealing it under their coat before leaving the store without paying. This individual is a larcenist.

  Explanation: The person unlawfully took personal property (the handbag) belonging to another (the store) and carried it away, clearly intending to permanently keep it without paying. This act fits the definition of larceny, making the perpetrator a larcenist.

• Example 2: Theft from a Vehicle

  Consider a situation where someone notices an expensive laptop bag left on the back seat of an unlocked car. They open the car door, grab the bag, and quickly walk away. The person who took the laptop bag is a larcenist.

  Explanation: By taking the laptop bag from the car, the individual unlawfully took personal property (the laptop and bag) from its owner with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of it. This action constitutes larceny, identifying the person as a larcenist.

• Example 3: Employee Embezzlement (Petty Theft)

  An office worker regularly takes small items like boxes of pens, reams of paper, and staplers from their employer's supply closet for personal use at home, without permission or intent to return them. This employee could be considered a larcenist.

  Explanation: Although the items are small, the employee is unlawfully taking personal property (office supplies) belonging to their employer and carrying them away with the intent to permanently deprive the employer of those items for their own benefit. This act, even on a small scale, falls under the definition of larceny.