How Long Is the Sentence for First-Degree Larceny in CT?

A first-degree larceny sentence in CT runs from one to twenty years in prison, with fines up to $15,000, because the offense is a Class B felony.¹² The court can also order restitution to the victim, impose probation of up to five years, and, if you have a qualifying prior felony, apply an enhancement that lifts the range to ten to twenty-five years. Everything below fills in how those pieces actually get used at sentencing.

Where a Sentence Typically Lands

One to twenty years is a wide window, and where a defendant lands inside it depends on the specifics. Judges review pre-sentence investigation reports covering background, criminal history, employment, and personal circumstances. Victim impact statements also factor in.

A theft involving careful planning, a breach of trust, or harm to a vulnerable person tends to push a sentence higher. A defendant with no prior record who stole property just above the $20,000 threshold and cooperated with authorities is more likely to land near the lower end. The court is not required to impose the maximum, but the fact that twenty years remains on the table is what gives prosecutors their leverage in plea talks.

Fines up to $15,000

A first-degree larceny conviction carries a potential fine of up to $15,000, set by the court.³ The fine is separate from any restitution. Judges weigh the defendant’s ability to pay and the financial harm caused by the crime. Elaborate schemes and exploitation of a position of trust push fines toward the top of the range.

Restitution to the Victim

Connecticut law requires the court to ask on the record whether any victim is requesting restitution. If the victim asks and the court finds the offense caused injury, property damage, or financial loss, the court must order the defendant to pay.⁴ Unlike fines, this is not discretionary once those conditions are met.

Restitution covers concrete, provable losses: the value of stolen or damaged property, actual medical expenses, counseling costs tied to the offense, and lost wages. It does not cover pain and suffering or other intangible harm.⁴ In setting the amount, the court looks at four factors: the defendant’s financial resources, ability to pay, the rehabilitative value of paying restitution, and the financial impact on the victim. If a defendant genuinely cannot pay anything under any reasonable plan, the court may forego restitution terms, but must explain that on the record.

A restitution order is enforceable like a civil judgment, so the victim can pursue collection through civil court if payments stop.

Probation Instead of, or After, Prison

Prison is not the only outcome. A judge can sentence a first-degree larceny defendant to probation in place of incarceration, or suspend part of the prison sentence and follow it with probation. For a Class B felony, probation can run up to five years.⁵ The court must find that extended imprisonment is not needed to protect the public, that the defendant would benefit from supervised guidance, and that probation is consistent with the interests of justice.

Conditions can include maintaining employment, undergoing psychiatric or medical treatment, making restitution payments, performing community service, living in a halfway house, or participating in an alternate incarceration program.⁶ Violate any of them and the court can revoke probation and impose the original prison sentence.

Enhanced Sentence for Repeat Offenders

If you have a prior felony conviction that resulted in more than a year of imprisonment, the state can seek to have you classified as a persistent serious felony offender. The definition is straightforward: you currently stand convicted of a felony and you were previously convicted and imprisoned for more than a year for any crime, whether in Connecticut, another state, or a federal institution.⁷

The effect is severe. When a defendant is found to be a persistent serious felony offender, the court may impose the prison sentence authorized for the next more serious felony class.⁷ For first-degree larceny, that lifts a Class B felony into Class A sentencing: ten to twenty-five years instead of one to twenty.² The floor moves from one year to ten. That single enhancement changes the entire calculus of a case.

Accelerated Rehabilitation as an Off-Ramp

Connecticut’s Accelerated Rehabilitation program lets certain defendants avoid a conviction entirely. If the court grants your application, you complete a period of supervision with conditions such as community service, counseling, substance abuse treatment, or restitution. Successful completion results in dismissal of the charges.⁸

The program is generally limited to crimes “not of a serious nature,” and Class B felonies are normally excluded. Connecticut law carves out a specific exception, though: defendants charged with first-degree larceny may be eligible under certain circumstances.⁹ That makes the program worth raising with a defense attorney early, especially for defendants with no criminal history. Eligibility is not guaranteed; the court retains full discretion.

What Triggers a First-Degree Charge

Three separate paths lead to the same Class B felony, and only one has to fit:

Obtaining property or services through extortion, regardless of value.¹
Stealing property or services worth more than $20,000, however the theft was carried out.¹
Defrauding a public community when the property is worth more than $2,000, a much lower dollar threshold than the general rule.¹

Consequences That Outlast the Sentence

A first-degree larceny conviction is a felony, and felonies create ripple effects that keep going after prison and probation end.

Connecticut strips your right to vote, run for office, and hold public office upon felony conviction and commitment to a correctional facility. Those rights are restored on release from confinement, though the process differs depending on whether you were a registered voter before the conviction and whether you return to the same municipality. If the felony was election-related, voting rights are not restored until you complete any related parole or probation.¹⁰

Employment is where the conviction often hits hardest. A theft-related felony raises immediate concerns for any position involving money, client property, or fiduciary responsibility. Federal agencies and federal contractors are barred from asking about criminal history before making a conditional job offer, but they can still consider it afterward, and positions requiring security clearances or law enforcement duties are exempt from that protection. Private employers in Connecticut follow their own hiring rules, but a first-degree larceny conviction on a background check is hard to overcome in finance, healthcare, or any role involving access to funds.

Federal and state firearm restrictions apply to felony convictions, and you become ineligible for jury service. None of these consequences expire when the sentence ends. Planning for them while a case is still pending gives you the best chance of managing the long-term fallout.

1
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 53a-122 – Larceny in the First Degree: Class B Felony
2
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 53a-35a – Imprisonment for Felony Committed on or After July 1, 1981: Definite Sentence: Authorized Term
3
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 53a-41 – Fines for Felonies
4
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 53a-28 – Authorized Sentences
5
FindLaw. Connecticut Code 53a-29 – Sentence of Probation or Conditional Discharge
6
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 53a-30 – Conditions of Probation and Conditional Discharge
7
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 53a-40 – Persistent Offenders: Definitions: Defense: Authorized Sentences: Procedure
8
Connecticut Judicial Branch. Accelerated Pretrial Rehabilitation Program
9
Connecticut General Assembly. Accelerated Rehabilitation Programs
10
Connecticut General Assembly. Voting Rights After Felony Conviction