Arrested in Massachusetts for Malicious Damage to a Motor Vehicle?
A Massachusetts Conviction for malicious damage to a motor vehicle is a concurrent felony and is punishable by imprisonment for up to 15 years in prison. If found guilty, your name will be sent to the registry of motor vehicles (Mass RMV) and your license will be revoked for 1 year, or 5 years for a subsequent offense. These charges also can’t plead out for a continuation without a finding (CWOF).
Malicious Damage to a motor vehicle penalties are very serious and unduly harsh, in my opinion. A simple personal dispute can easily escalate to someone facing state prison. To get the best defense in this case, consult with a criminal defense lawyer as quickly as possible.
Also refer to my malicious destruct of property/damage page.
Massachusetts Malicious Damage to a Motor Vehicle Defense Strategies
The first thing I’ll do is make every attempt to get the charges reduce to simple malicious damage, where the penalties aren’t so severe and unreasonable.
If you’ve received a criminal citation to a clerk magistrate’s hearing, we’ve got a very good chance to win and avoid a criminal charge being issued. In that case, it may be possible to get malicious damage / malicious destruction criminal charges dismissed with restitution. All you’d have to do is pay for the damages and the charges against you can be dropped.
If you are charged with malicious damage to a motor vehicle, malicious damage of property over or under $250 in value, or another criminal offense, call for a legal defense consultation. There is no obligation.