Mass. Gen. Laws » Part IV Title I Chapter 266
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 30 (2026)

Larceny; general provisions and penalties

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 30. (1) Whoever steals, or with intent to defraud obtains by a false pretence, or whoever unlawfully, and with intent to steal or embezzle, converts, or secretes with intent to convert, the property of another as defined in this section, whether such property is or is not in his possession at the time of such conversion or secreting, shall be guilty of larceny, and shall, if the property stolen is a firearm, as defined in section one hundred and twenty-one of chapter one hundred and forty, or, if the value of the property stolen exceeds $1,200, be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than five years, or by a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars and imprisonment in jail for not more than two years; or, if the value of the property stolen, other than a firearm as so defined, does not exceed $1,200 shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than $1,500.

(2) The term ''property'', as used in the section, shall include money, personal chattels, a bank note, bond, promissory note, bill of exchange or other bill, order or certificate, a book of accounts for or concerning money or goods due or to become due or to be delivered, a deed or writing containing a conveyance of land, any valuable contract in force, a receipt, release or defeasance, a writ, process, certificate of title or duplicate certificate issued under chapter one hundred and eighty-five, a public record, anything which is of the realty or is annexed thereto, a security deposit received pursuant to section fifteen B of chapter one hundred and eighty-six, electronically processed or stored data, either tangible or intangible, data while in transit, telecommunications services, and any domesticated animal, including dogs, or a beast or bird which is ordinarily kept in confinement.

(3) The stealing of real property may be a larceny from one or more tenants, sole, joint or in common, in fee, for life or years, at will or sufferance, mortgagors or mortgagees, in possession of the same, or who may have an action of tort against the offender for trespass upon the property, but not from one having only the use or custody thereof. The larceny may be from a wife in possession, if she is authorized by law to hold such property as if sole, otherwise her occupation may be the possession of the husband. If such property which was of a person deceased is stolen, it may be a larceny from any one or more heirs, devisees, reversioners, remaindermen or others, who have a right upon such deceased to take possession, but not having entered, as it would be after entry. The larceny may be from a person whose name is unknown, if it would be such if the property stolen were personal, and may be committed by those who have only the use or custody of the property, but not by a person against whom no action of tort could be maintained for acts like those constituting the larceny.

(4) Whoever steals, or with intent to defraud obtains by a false pretense, or whoever unlawfully, and with intent to steal or embezzle, converts, secretes, unlawfully takes, carries away, conceals or copies with intent to convert any trade secret of another, regardless of value, whether such trade secret is or is not in his possession at the time of such conversion or secreting, shall be guilty of larceny, and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than five years, or by a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars and imprisonment in jail for not more than two years. The term ''trade secret'' as used in this paragraph means and includes anything tangible or intangible or electronically kept or stored, which constitutes, represents, evidences or records a secret scientific, technical, merchandising, production or management information, design, process, procedure, formula, invention or improvement.

(5) Whoever steals or with intent to defraud obtains by a false pretense, or whoever unlawfully, and with intent to steal or embezzle, converts, or secretes with intent to convert, the property of another, sixty years of age or older, or of a person with a disability as defined in section thirteen K of chapter two hundred and sixty-five, whether such property is or is not in his possession at the time of such conversion or secreting, shall be guilty of larceny, and shall, if the value of the property exceeds two hundred and fifty dollars, be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than ten years or in the house of correction for not more than two and one-half years, or by a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars or by both such fine and imprisonment; or if the value of the property does not exceed two hundred and fifty dollars, shall be punished by imprisonment in the house of correction for not more than two and one-half years or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by both such fine and imprisonment. The court may order, regardless of the value of the property, restitution to be paid to the victim commensurate with the value of the property.

(6) A law enforcement officer may arrest a person without a warrant that the officer has probable cause to believe has committed an offense under this section and the value of the property stolen is more than $250.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 338 cases (52 in the last 5 years), 1924–2026 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Mills, 764 N.E.2d 854 (Mass. 2002).
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Commonwealth v. Mills, 764 N.E.2d 854 (Mass. 2002). · cites it 8× “Following a jury trial, the defendant was found guilty of three counts of larceny from the city of Boston, in *388 violation of G. L. c. 266, § 30 1 ; two counts of larceny by false pretenses from the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), in violation of G.”
Commonwealth v. St. Hilaire, 21 N.E.3d 968 (Mass. 2015). · cites it 11× “Following a jury-waived trial, a Superior Court judge found the defendant guilty of larceny from a person sixty years of age or older in violation of G. L. c. 266, § 30 (5). 1 The charges arose from a real estate transaction in which Erika Magill, the victim, sold her property…”
Commonwealth v. Johnson, 119 N.E.3d 669 (Mass. 2019). · cites it 6× “266, § 16; two counts of larceny over $250, G. L. c. 266, § 30; and one count of larceny of $250 or less, G.”
Commonwealth v. Labadie, 3 N.E.3d 1093 (Mass. 2014). · cites it 8× “…union’s funds, and, if not, whether the employee may be found guilty of larceny by embezzlement, in violation of G. L. c. 266, § 30 (§ 30). Because the Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt under § 52 that the victim was a “bank, as defined in [G. L. c. 167, §…”
Commonwealth v. Drapaniotis, 89 Mass. App. Ct. 267 (Mass. App. Ct. 2016). · cites it 10× “40 caliber firearm under G. L. c. 266, § 30( 1). That conviction was not appealed, and the .”
Commonwealth v. Mahoney, 863 N.E.2d 951 (Mass. App. Ct. 2007). · cites it 13× “266, § 51, and for larceny over $250, see G. L. c. 266, § 30. The indictments were based on her alleged theft of approximately $44,000 out of parking fines and excise taxes that she received in her capacity as an employee of the office of the parking clerk of the city of Lowell.”
Nasif v. Palladino (In re Palladino), 560 B.R. 608 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2016). · cites it 8× “INTRODUCTION The issues presented in this adversary proceeding are whether the elements pertinent to the definition of larceny under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 30 and 11 U.S.”
Commonwealth v. Henry, 55 N.E.3d 943 (Mass. 2016). · cites it 2× “As a result, in November, 2013, a complaint issued in the Salem Division of the District Court Department alleging that the defendant stole the property of Walmart having a value of more than $250 pursuant to a single larcenous scheme on various dates between July 20 and…”
Mucktaru Kemokai v. U.S. Attorney Gen., 83 F.4th 886 (11th Cir. 2023). · cites it 2× “See Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 30 (2) (defining “[t]he term ‘property’ as used in the [larceny statute]”).”
Commonwealth v. Hudson, 535 N.E.2d 208 (Mass. 1989). · cites it 5× “He was charged with larceny of property exceeding $100 in value, in violation *283 of G. L. c. 266, § 30, which was then a felony.”
Commonwealth v. Crocker, 424 N.E.2d 524 (Mass. 1981). · cites it 3× “Crocker, was convicted on three of five counts of larceny over $100, G. L. c. 266, § 30, and three of five counts of uttering a forged check, G.”
Commonwealth v. Geane, 744 N.E.2d 665 (Mass. App. Ct. 2001). · cites it 5× “274, § 6, larceny, G. L. c. 266, § 30, 1 and larceny of property with a value greater than $250, G.”
Show all 338 citing cases →
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 30(1) — 31 cases
Commonwealth v. Drapaniotis, 89 Mass. App. Ct. 267 (Mass. App. Ct. 2016). “40 caliber firearm under G. L. c. 266, § 30( 1). That conviction was not appealed, and the .”
Commonwealth v. Sollivan, 663 N.E.2d 580 (Mass. App. Ct. 1996).
Commonwealth v. Werner, 967 N.E.2d 159 (Mass. App. Ct. 2012).
Commonwealth v. Catalano, 908 N.E.2d 842 (Mass. App. Ct. 2009).
Commonwealth v. Kelly, 507 N.E.2d 777 (Mass. App. Ct. 1987).
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 30(2) — 8 cases
Commonwealth v. Alvarez, 90 Mass. App. Ct. 158 (Mass. App. Ct. 2016).
Commonwealth v. Catalano, 908 N.E.2d 842 (Mass. App. Ct. 2009).
Commonwealth v. Levin, 417 N.E.2d 440 (Mass. App. Ct. 1981).
Commonwealth v. Cromwell, 761 N.E.2d 530 (Mass. App. Ct. 2002).
Commonwealth v. Duddie Ford, Inc., 551 N.E.2d 1211 (Mass. App. Ct. 1990).
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 30(4) — 5 cases
Chomerics, Inc. v. Ehrreich, 421 N.E.2d 453 (Mass. App. Ct. 1981).
Routhier Placement Specialists, Inc. v. Brown, 15 Mass. L. Rptr. 246 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2002).
Maine Pointe, LLC v. Collins (D. Mass. 2018).
Esalon, Inc. v. Hoffman, 29 Mass. L. Rptr. 597 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2011).
EMC Corp. v. Breen, 31 Mass. L. Rptr. 114 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2013).
— Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 30(5) — 4 cases
Commonwealth v. Ryan, 105 N.E.3d 1228 (Mass. App. Ct. 2018).
Commonwealth v. Cullen, 816 N.E.2d 1228 (Mass. App. Ct. 2004).
Commonwealth v. Montalvo, 735 N.E.2d 391 (Mass. App. Ct. 2000).
Commonwealth v. Khan (Mass. App. Ct. 2017).
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