Past-results notice: This page describes a prior matter for informational purposes. Every case depends on its own facts and law, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Robbery Defense Attorneys in Easton Pennsylvania, Serving Lehigh & Northampton County
Our Robbery Defense Attorneys Represent Defendants in Allentown, Bethlehem & Easton and throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley
Our Violent Crime & Theft Criminal Defense Attorneys have represented numerous individuals charged with Robbery in Easton, Allentown, Bethlehem & the Greater Lehigh Valley. We have successfully had Lehigh & Northampton County Robbery charges evaluated for grading, proof, and available defenses.
In Pennsylvania, Robbery is a felony and can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Robbery is essentially a taking of property, from another, by force or threat of force. The amount of force used or threatened will determine how the robbery is graded. Most simple purse snatchings should be graded as a third degree felony while robberies involving the threat of serious injury may be graded as 1st degree felonies.
Two common defenses to robbery are misidentification and disputing the level of threat or force used. Often there is no suspect caught on the scene during a robbery and the state must rely on identifications made by the victim. Contrary to popular belief, eyewitness identification is a relatively unreliable form of evidence. This is especially true when the identifier is also the victim of a crime.
Although the slightest threat or amount of force may create a robbery, the extent of that force or threat has a dramatic impact on the grading of the offense and thus the severity of sentencing. Even if the state can prove that a defendant has a committed a robbery they may be overcharging and subjecting that person to a harsher sentence than he or she should be liable for.
Our Criminal Defense Attorneys in Easton, Pennsylvania are here to help. Call now if you, or a loved one, are facing Robbery charges.
Our Approach to Defending Robbery Charges in the Lehigh Valley
Early Intervention & Aggressive Robbery Defense
Early Retention of a Lehigh Valley Criminal Defense Attorney Can Be an Important Step in Defending Criminal Charges in Easton, Allentown & Bethlehem
When at all possible we want to be involved in a Lehigh or Northampton County Robbery case as early as possible. As time passes, memories fade or distort and witnesses may become harder and harder to track down. Security camera footage in Allentown, Bethlehem or Easton may be overwritten and cell phone records may be destroyed. early contact may provide more time to preserve evidence and prepare. When at all possible, we prefer to be involved in an Robbery case, prior to the Preliminary Hearing in order to maximize our ability to defend against the Robbery charges.
Robbery Law in Easton, Pennsylvania
Below you can find the Pennsylvania Robbery Statute
Robbery - 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3701
Robbery - 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3701
Current statutory text checked September 27, 2026 against the official text at palegis.us.
(a) Offense defined.--
(1) A person is guilty of robbery if, in the course of
committing a theft, he:
(i) inflicts serious bodily injury upon another;
(ii) threatens another with or intentionally puts
him in fear of immediate serious bodily injury;
(iii) commits or threatens immediately to commit
any felony of the first or second degree;
(iv) inflicts bodily injury upon another or
threatens another with or intentionally puts him in fear
of immediate bodily injury;
(v) physically takes or removes property from the
person of another by force however slight; or
(vi) takes or removes the money of a financial
institution without the permission of the financial
institution by making a demand of an employee of the
financial institution orally or in writing with the
intent to deprive the financial institution thereof.
(2) An act shall be deemed "in the course of committing
a theft" if it occurs in an attempt to commit theft or in
flight after the attempt or commission.
(3) For purposes of this subsection, a "financial
institution" means a bank, trust company, savings trust,
credit union or similar institution.
(b) Grading.--
(1) Except as provided under paragraph (2), robbery
under subsection (a)(1)(iv) and (vi) is a felony of the
second degree; robbery under subsection (a)(1)(v) is a felony
of the third degree; otherwise, it is a felony of the first
degree.
(2) If the object of a robbery under paragraph (1) is
a controlled substance or designer drug as those terms are
defined in section 2 of the act of April 14, 1972 (P.L.233,
No.64), known as The Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and
Cosmetic Act, robbery is a felony of the first degree.
Criminal Court Process in Lehigh and Northampton Counties
A brief explanation of criminal-court hearings in Lehigh and Northampton Counties
Filing of Charges
A criminal case begins with the filing of the charging paperwork in the District Court. The District Court serves as the gatekeeper for the Court of Common Pleas and generally does not decide guilt or innocence nor does it impose sentences in misdemeanor and felony cases.
Under Pa.R.Crim.P. 509, a warrant is required when a felony or murder is charged and in specified circumstances such as reasonable grounds to believe the defendant will ignore a summons or poses a threat. A summons is ordinarily required when the most serious charge is a second-degree misdemeanor or a first-degree-misdemeanor DUI, absent those exceptions. Other cases—including many non-DUI first-degree misdemeanors—may fall within the issuing authority’s discretion. The actual charge, release status, service history, and case-specific facts control.
Preliminary Arraignment
A preliminary arraignment occurs after an arrest or warrant in cases that require it. The issuing authority advises the defendant of the charges and rights and addresses bail. A case initiated by summons may proceed without a separate preliminary arraignment, so the complaint, summons, warrant, and hearing notice control the next appearance.
Preliminary Hearing
At a preliminary hearing, the Commonwealth must present a prima facie case for charges to continue. The hearing is not a trial, and waiver can sometimes be part of a lawful strategy or agreement. No one should waive—or categorically refuse to waive—without understanding the evidence, bail posture, negotiations, and consequences in the particular case.
Formal Arraignment
Formal arraignment is a Court of Common Pleas proceeding at which the defendant is advised of the charges, rights, and important pretrial deadlines. The scheduling order and current county procedure control. A negotiated plea may sometimes be presented at or near that stage when permitted, but no agreement should be assumed and no filing deadline should be missed while discussions continue.
Pre-Trial Motions & Hearings
Proceedings after formal arraignment may include ARD or another diversion hearing, a habeas corpus challenge, a suppression or evidentiary hearing, a plea, a status event, or trial preparation. Each has a different legal standard and purpose. Suppression requires a supported constitutional or statutory basis; diversion remains discretionary; and a plea requires a knowing, voluntary, and intelligent decision after the terms and direct consequences are explained.
Criminal Trial
Whether a criminal trial is heard by a jury or by a judge depends on the grading, the right to a jury, any valid waiver, the court’s approval where required, and case-specific strategy. The decision should follow review of the charge, likely evidence, available defenses, and procedural rules—not a generalized assumption about emotion.
If the case proceeds as a jury trial, the court and counsel examine potential jurors under the applicable rules. Challenges for cause and the permitted number of peremptory challenges depend on the case and governing procedure. The process continues until a qualified jury is selected and sworn.
After a jury is chosen, the trial begins with opening statements.
Because the government has the burden of proof, the prosecutor is allowed to make his opening statement first. The defense will then have the option of making an opening statement or waiting until after the prosecution rests its case.
Defense lawyers usually opt to deliver opening statements immediately after the prosecution so that jurors can examine the government’s evidence under the defense’s theory of the case.
After the opening statement(s), each side has the opportunity to present its case.
The prosecution must present its case first. During this time the government presents evidence and elicits testimony from its witnesses. The defense is entitled to cross-examine each witness that the government calls. The prosecution must establish each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
When the prosecution rests, the defense may seek a judgment of acquittal when supported. The defense may then present evidence, but it has no obligation to do so and the defendant has a constitutional right not to testify. If a motion is denied, counsel and the client make the remaining trial decisions under the applicable rules.
After the presentation of evidence concludes, the parties may make closing arguments. The order of argument and any rebuttal follow the applicable rules and the court’s directions.
The defendant has the right to testify and the right not to testify. If testimony is considered, counsel should explain the subjects and permissible impeachment that may arise under the Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence and the actual record. The decision is personal to the defendant and should not be reduced to a categorical statement that prior history will or will not be admitted.
While the prosecution must establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt, the defense has no obligation to present a case. When advantageous, the defense may rely solely upon raising a reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case.
After the closing arguments, the judge will read specific instructions to the jury outlining the legal standards necessary to decide if the defendant is to be found guilty or not guilty. The jury then leaves the courtroom to deliberate the case.
If the jurors cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the court may declare a mistrial. A hung jury does not automatically dismiss the charges; subject to constitutional limits and later court rulings, the prosecution may seek a new trial or may decide not to retry the case.
Frequently asked questions
What turns a theft into a robbery?
Section 3701 applies to conduct "in the course of committing a theft" when a person commits one of the statute's listed acts. Those include inflicting injury, making specified threats, committing or threatening immediately to commit a first- or second-degree felony, or physically taking property from another person "by force however slight."
Is every robbery a first-degree felony?
No. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3701(b), robbery under subsection (a)(1)(iv) or (vi) is a second-degree felony; robbery under subsection (a)(1)(v)—physically taking or removing property from another person by force however slight—is a third-degree felony; the remaining forms are first-degree felonies. Robbery whose object is a controlled substance or designer drug is a first-degree felony (§ 3701(b)(2)). The level of force, injury, or threat therefore affects grading.
What is the maximum sentence for robbery?
Robbery can carry up to 20 years in prison. The offense's grading affects sentencing severity.
What are common defenses to robbery?
The page identifies misidentification and disputes over the level of force or threat as two common defenses. It explains that police may rely on a victim's identification when no suspect was caught at the scene and describes eyewitness identification as relatively unreliable, especially when the identifier was also the victim. The degree of force or threat can also affect grading.
