Package theft is the theft of a package or parcel, and it can occur anywhere along the distribution channel from shipment to delivery. One major type is porch piracy, defined as taking possession of a package or its contents outside a residence or business, where it has been commercially delivered or left for commercial pickup, with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of the contents or to sell them. Porch piracy is widely regarded as a difficult crime to resolve, with only about ten percent of reported cases resulting in an arrest and a significant number of incidents going unsolved, and it is typically thwarted through the use of parcel lockers or similar delivery services, though these often require the recipient to go out of their way to receive the package.
Facts
Typical PenaltyUnder Pennsylvania's porch piracy law, the offense is a third degree felony if the stolen items exceed $2,000 in value or the offender has two or more prior mail theft convictions. 1 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
Has Offense Grade
Entity-backed identity for the offense-grade enum value this offense already carries, resolved to a crime concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The offense-grade fact itself stays on the offense unchanged.
Sources
1. Porch pirate theft now a felony in certain cases in Pennsylvania (CBS News Philadelphia)
Page body, felony threshold sentenceQuote, Page body, felony threshold sentence
Porch piracy is considered a third-degree felony if the value of the stolen items exceeds $2,000, or the accused thief has two or more prior convictions for mail theft.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.