You cannot just buy your way out of a theft charge. If that were the case, can you imagine how thefts would skyrocket? Steal as much as you want, and when som

You cannot just buy your way out of a theft charge. If that were the case, can you imagine how thefts would skyrocket? Steal as much as you want, and when someone catches you, give back the specific item(s) they're missing and keep the rest! Of course, a private accusation of theft is not an official charge of theft, or a prosecution, or a conviction for it. If a private individual comes to you and accuses you of taking something that belongs to them, and you return it, that ought to be the end of it, unless the victim is really honked off and insists on involving the police. Once the Boys in Blue are involved, it becomes much more difficult to resolve the situation extra-judicially.