A class 4 felony can either be the lowest type of felony committed or it may be followed by several additional classes that represent lower order crimes and less severe sentencing. Additionally, Felony 4 may also be called Felony D in some locations. Undoubtedly, any form of felony charge is serious, but listing specific crimes that may fall into this category are difficult because different regions differ on this point. The best source for finding out what crimes are most associated with Felony 4 are the laws of a place where a person resides, but even then, some similar crimes may receive higher or lower classification based on individual circumstances or results of the crime.
Some of the crimes that regions might consider Felony 4 include drunk driving, possession of a weapon or some forms of theft, usually of less expensive items. Stalking or peeping tom behavior could fall into this category and some sexual behavior with or among minors also becomes Felony 4. Sometimes destruction or damage of property in small amounts merits this charge too.
There are a number of crimes that are designated as white-collar crimes that, if committed, would result in class 4 felony charges. These could include some forms of fraud like mail fraud, racketeering, or forgery. It’s important to understand that any type of crime that involves a dollar amount of damage like destruction of property, theft, or fraud could migrate up and down the classes depending upon the value of the damage. Stealing, destroying or fraudulently obtaining anything of very high value can result in being charged with higher-class felonies. Alternately, if a person commits multiple felony acts, as is common with white collar crimes, they might be charged with separate counts of Felony 4, leading to a separate consecutive sentences for every count.
A Felony 4 conviction carries serious charges, even if it is for just one act, and in spite of the fact that these felonies may be the least egregious in some regions. A number of jurisdictions impose minimum jail sentences of one to two years, with a maximum that may vary in time span from five to seven years. There are also fines associated with these crimes. Some of these fines are less than $1000 US Dollars (USD), but many of them may be at least ten to a hundred times that amount. As with sentencing, there may be minimum fines imposed with judges having discretionary power to make the fine higher if they feel a case warrants it.
