BIA Finds Pennsylvania Retail Theft Is Not a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude (CIMT)

When is theft not a theft offense? When it's retail theft, at least in Pennsylvania. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) finds that Pennsylvania retail theft is not a crime involving moral turpitude, a "CIMT" because, unlike the generic definition of a theft offense, the Pennsylvania retail theft statute does not require that the defendant intend to permanently deprive the store of the property. Read the full decision here: Matter of Thakker, 28 I&N Dec. 843 (BIA 2024). #crimmigration #cimt #theftoffense