Which statement best describes the essential elements of larceny?

• A. With the intent to deprive another of property, he wrongfully takes property.
• B. By assaulting the owner to obtain property.
• C. By taking property with the owner's consent.
• D. By using deceit to obtain property but with no intent to deprive.

Answer: (A)

Larceny hinges on two key ideas: a trespassory taking of property and the intent to permanently deprive the owner of that property. The statement that best fits describes taking property from another with the intent to deprive, and doing so in a wrongful way. That combination—unpermitted taking plus intent to deprive—captures the essential elements of larceny: the act of taking (and carrying away) property that belongs to someone else, with the goal of keeping it permanently. The other scenarios describe different crimes or fail to include the deprivation intent: assault to obtain property points to robbery; taking with the owner’s consent isn’t larceny; obtaining by deceit without the intent to deprive isn’t larceny.