In New York, a person commits a burglary when they enter another person’s dwelling with the purpose of committing another criminal act (usually theft). Similarly, robbery is the use of force or the threat of force to illegally obtain another person’s property. Both of these crimes can and often do involve the use of a weapon, but it is not required element for a conviction of either offense. There are different degrees of burglary, and depending upon the circumstances of the case, a person may be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony offense. All robberies are felony crimes, though there are different degrees of robberies depending upon the amount of force used in the commission of the crime. The people accused of such crimes face serious penalties -- those who are convicted of the most serious forms of felony robbery or burglary face up to twenty-five years in prison.

If you have been arrested and charged for burglary or robbery, you should contact a New York criminal defense attorney experienced in defending clients against robbery and burglary charges as soon as you can. Before you speak with law enforcement about what happened in your case, it is in your best interests obtain legal counsel so that there are no statements made that could adversely affect your legal defense. Regardless of whether you have been charged with a misdemeanor or a felony offense, the penalties you face are severe, and your freedom is at stake. Because you stand to lose so much, you need a trained and knowledgeable advocate to provide you with the best possible chance to protect yourself.

The ultimate sentence is determined by many factors including but not limited to: prior convictions, the amount taken, who the victim is, the type of weapon used if any, any injury to the victim and the level robbery conviction.

We can explain that there are 6 degrees of burglary and 3 degrees of robbery to you in detail. The following is a recap of the penal law.

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