Is Receiving Stolen Property a Felony in Missouri?

Yes, receiving stolen property can be a felony in Missouri, and often is. Under § 570.030, the offense is folded into the general crime of stealing and climbs to a felony as soon as the property is worth $750 or more. Certain items — firearms, motor vehicles, credit cards, controlled substances, livestock, and a few others — are automatic felonies no matter what they’re worth. At the low end, you’re looking at a fine. At the high end, up to fifteen years in prison.¹

When It’s a Misdemeanor and When It’s a Felony

Missouri uses the fair market value of the property at the time of the offense to set the class of charge. The ladder runs like this:¹

Property worth less than $150, with no prior stealing convictions: Class D misdemeanor.
Property worth $150 to $749: Class A misdemeanor.
Property worth $750 or more: Class D felony.
Property worth $25,000 or more: Class C felony.

A Class B felony applies in two narrow situations: when the property was taken physically from a person at a financial institution, or when the offense is part of organized retail theft with combined value and damage of $10,000 or more.

Property That’s a Felony Regardless of Value

Some categories of property skip the value calculation entirely. Receiving any of the following is automatically a Class D felony:¹

Firearms or explosive weapons
Motor vehicles, watercraft, or aircraft
Credit or debit devices
Controlled substances
Livestock
Wills or unrecorded deeds

Receiving a stolen animal, catalytic converter, or mail or package delivered by a common carrier is a Class E felony.¹

Prison Time and Fines by Class

The numbers below are statutory maximums. Judges have discretion within the range, and the actual sentence depends on the facts and your record.

Mandatory minimums kick in at the Class C level. A judge sentencing on a Class C felony cannot go below three years. At Class B, the floor is five.

What the Prosecutor Has to Prove

Being around stolen property is not enough. To convict you of receiving stolen property, the state has to prove two things about your state of mind: that you acted with the purpose of depriving the owner of the property, and that you either knew it was stolen or believed it was stolen.¹

The statute says “believing,” not “having reasonable cause to believe.” Prosecutors don’t have to show you were certain. A genuine belief is enough, and they usually prove it with circumstantial evidence: a price far below fair market value, a seller who can’t explain where the item came from, missing serial numbers, odd meeting places and times. Deliberately avoiding questions doesn’t help you either. Missouri courts treat willful ignorance about where goods came from as the equivalent of belief.

You also don’t have to be the original thief. The statute reaches anyone downstream who receives, keeps, or passes along the goods. Possession can be direct (the item is in your hand) or constructive (you have the power and intent to control where it’s kept, even if it’s stashed somewhere else).

How Prior Convictions Raise the Charge

Your record can bump a charge up regardless of the property’s value. Three stealing-related convictions on three separate occasions within ten years of the current offense turn the new charge into a Class E felony, even when the property would otherwise put you in misdemeanor territory. For motor vehicles specifically, two prior stealing-related convictions within ten years can elevate the charge all the way to a Class B felony.¹

How Long Prosecutors Have to File Charges

Missouri gives the state one year to charge a misdemeanor stealing offense and three years to charge a felony stealing offense.⁴ The clock starts the day after the offense is committed. If you’ve been holding onto stolen goods, don’t assume the window has closed. Retention can be treated as a continuing offense, so the clock may not start until you no longer have the property.

Restitution on Top of the Sentence

A conviction can carry a restitution order in addition to the fine and any prison time. Missouri’s restitution statute, § 559.105, covers stealing offenses involving motor vehicles, watercraft, and aircraft, and requires payment of the victim’s reasonable expenses for participating in the prosecution, the cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle, and any towing or storage charges caused by the theft.⁵

For those vehicle-related cases, you can’t be released from probation until restitution is paid in full. If the money is still owed at the end of your original probation term, the court must extend probation to the maximum the offense allows. The same rule governs parole. Courts have general authority to order restitution for other stolen property as well, though the vehicle statute spells out the mechanics in the most detail.

1
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 570.030 – Stealing, Penalties
2
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 558.011 – Sentence of Imprisonment, Terms, Conditional Release
3
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 558.002 – Fines for Felonies
4
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 556.036 – Time Limitations
5
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 559.105 – Restitution May Be Ordered for Tampering and Stealing Offenses