What is the crime involving receiving stolen property?
Receiving stolen goods is generally buying or acquiring the possession
of property knowing (or believing in some jurisdictions) that it had
been obtained through theft, embezzlement, larceny, or extortion by
someone else. The crime is separate from the crime of stealing the
property. To be convicted, the receiver must know the goods were stolen
at the time he receives them and had the intent to aid the thief.
Paying for the goods or intending to collect the reward for returning
them are not defenses. Depending on the value of the property received,
receiving-stolen-property is either a misdemeanor or a felony.
There
are numerous federal laws that make it a federal crime to receive
stolen property (e.g., vehicles, securities) if the property received
was or had been in interstate commerce.