Ch. 268                                    1995 LAWS OF MARYLAND

(1)     Has the purpose of depriving the owner of the property; or

(2)     Willfully or knowingly uses, conceals, or abandons the property in such
manner as to deprive the owner of the property; or

(3)     Uses, conceals, or abandons the property knowing the use, concealment,
or abandonment probably will deprive the owner of the property.

(b)     A person commits the offense of theft when he willfully or knowingly uses
deception to obtain and does obtain control over property of the owner, and;

(1)     Has the purpose of depriving the owner of the property; or

(2)     Willfully or knowingly uses, conceals, or abandons the property in such
manner as to deprive the owner of the property; or

(3)     Uses, conceals, or abandons the property knowing such use,
concealment, or abandonment probably will deprive the owner of the property.

(c)     (1) A person commits the offense of theft if he possesses stolen personal
property knowing that it has been stolen, or believing that it has probably been stolen,
and:

(i) Has the purpose of depriving the owner of the property; or

(ii) Willfully or knowingly uses, conceals, or abandons the property in
such manner as to deprive the owner of the property; or

(iii) Uses, conceals, or abandons the property knowing such use,
concealment, or abandonment probably will deprive the owner of the property.

(2)     The requisite knowledge may be inferred in the case of a person in the
business of buying or selling goods who:

(i) Is found in possession or control of property stolen from two or
more persons on separate occasions; or

(ii) During the year preceding the criminal possession charged, has
acquired stolen property in a separate transaction; or

(iii) Being a person in the business of buying or selling property of the
sort possessed, acquired it for a consideration which he knew was far below its reasonable
value.

(3)     In any prosecution for theft by possession of stolen property under this
section, it is not a defense that:

(i) The person who stole the property has not been convicted,
apprehended, or identified; or

(ii) The defendant stole or participated in the stealing of the property;
or

(iii) The stealing of the property did not occur in this State.
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