East St. Louis Robbery and Burglary Lawyer

Robbery and Burglary Attorney in East St. Louis, IL

Illinois robbery and burglary laws are very strict. If you’re facing one of these types of theft charges, you need an East St. Louis robbery and burglary lawyer on your team to protect your rights and defend you in court.

Whether you’re facing charges of robbery or burglary, the team at The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC, can help. Our founding attorney has decades of experience in criminal defense, and in that time, she has taken on many challenging robbery and burglary cases. If you need an East St. Louis robbery and burglary attorney, you can trust her to provide you with an aggressive defense.

Burglary and Robbery by the Numbers

East St. Louis has a very high property crime rate of 19.22 crimes per 1,000 residents. In 2019, East St. Louis had a robbery rate of 121.8, compared to 98.4 overall in Illinois and 81.6 in the United States. While the number of homicides is down 44% from 2019 to 2024, there is no evidence that property crime rates are on the decline.

Hire a Robbery and Burglary Lawyer

If you’re facing serious theft charges in East St. Louis, you’re certainly not alone. You deserve exceptional representation. That’s what you’ll get when you hire a robbery and burglary lawyer with experience. Your lawyer will be able to analyze the prosecution’s evidence to find holes in their story and come up with a coherent narrative of the event that places you in a good light. If it’s not possible to have your charges dropped, your lawyer can also negotiate a plea deal.

Robbery vs. Burglary

Both robbery and burglary involve the unlawful taking of another person or entity’s possessions, but they are not the same crime. Robbery involves the use of physical force or fear in the commission of a theft, while burglary refers to the unlawful entry into a home or local business like ShoesRLife with the intent to commit a crime.

Penalties for Robbery vs Burglary

Robbery, as defined in 720 ILCS 5/18-1, is a Class 2 felony. It carries three to seven years in prison as a penalty, along with fines of up to $25,000, unless the victim is disabled or older than 60. In these cases, robbery is a Class 1 felony that could leave you facing four to 15 years in prison.

Burglary, as defined under 720 ILCS 5/19-1, is also a Class 2 felony punishable by three to seven years in prison and fines of up to $25,000. Residential burglary is a Class 1 felony.

East St. Louis Robbery and Burglary Lawyer

If you’re facing serious theft charges at a State or Federal level, you need a skilled East St. Louis robbery and burglary lawyer on your side. You can trust The Law Office of Jessica Koester, LLC, to help. Attorney Jessica Koester has decades of experience defending clients against serious theft charges. Our firm can develop an effective defense strategy to help you avoid steep burglary or robbery penalties. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation today.