ISP 80th Academy Criminal Law Practice Test 2026 – The Complete All-in-One Guide for Success!

Receiving stolen property requires the defendant to know that the property is stolen (or have reasonable grounds to believe it is). This mental state shows awareness of the illegality of what is being received, not the act of theft itself. If you don’t know it’s stolen and have no reason to know, you wouldn’t be guilty of receiving stolen property. Saying you know it may be stolen in some cases is too uncertain, because the law typically requires actual knowledge or a reasonable belief based on the circumstances. Believing you intended to steal the property is not necessary for this offense—the crime targets the receipt of stolen property, not the original taking. So the best-fitting mental state is knowledge or reason to know the property is stolen.