LEGAL PRINCIPLE: CRIMINAL LAW – Stealing – Removal Without Consent – When Constitutes Fraudulent Taking

Removal of property without the owner’s consent constitutes fraudulent taking if done with intent permanently to deprive. The act of removal itself, without lawful authority, supports inference of fraudulent intent. No separate proof of subjective dishonesty is required where the circumstances—lack of consent, absence of claim of right, and permanent deprivation—establish fraud. The law deems such removal fraudulent because the objective facts demonstrate intent to deprive. This objective standard ensures that unauthorized taking without claim of right constitutes stealing regardless of protestations of honest belief.