Article 264 Whoever steals a relatively large amount of public or private property or commits theft repeatedly shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance and shall also, or shall only, be fined; if the amount is huge, or if there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined; if the amount is especially huge, or if there are other especially serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years or life imprisonment and shall also be fined or be sentenced to confiscation of property; whoever falls under any of the following categories shall be sentenced to life imprisonment or death, and shall also be sentenced to confiscation of property:

(1) stealing a banking institution and the amount involved is especially huge,; or

(2) stealing precious cultural relics and the circumstances are serious.

Article 265 Whoever, for the purpose of making profits, stealthily connects his telecommunications line with that of another person, duplicates another person's telecommunications code or number or uses the telecommunication equipment or device while clearly knowing that it is stealthily connected with another person's or duplicated shall be convicted and punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 264 of this Law.

Article 266 Whoever swindles public or private money or property, if the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance and shall also, or shall only, be fined; if the amount is huge, or if there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined; if the amount is especially huge, or if there are other especially serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years or life imprisonment and shall also be fined or be sentenced to confiscation of property, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Law.

Article 267 Whoever forcibly seizes public or private money or property, if the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance and shall also, or shall only, be fined; if the amount is huge, or there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined; if the amount is especially huge, or there are other especially serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years or life imprisonment and shall also be fined or be sentenced to confiscation of property.

Whoever commits the crime with lethal weapons shall be convicted and punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 263 of this Law.

Article 268 Where people are gathered to forcibly seize public or private money or property, if the amount is relatively large or if there are other serious circumstances, the ringleaders and active participants shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance and shall also be fined; if the amount is huge, or there are other serious circumstances, they shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined.

Article 269 Whoever commits the crime of theft, fraud or forcible seizure of money or property and uses violence on the spot or threatens to use violence in order to conceal the booty, resist arrest or destroy the criminal evidence shall be convicted and punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 263 of this Law.

Article 270 Whoever unlawfully takes possession of another person's money or property under his custody and refuses to return it, if the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than two years, or criminal detention or be fined; if the amount is huge, or if there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than two years but not more than five years and shall also be fined.

Whoever unlawfully takes possession of an object, which another person has forgotten about or buried, and refuses to hand it over, if the amount is relatively large, shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

The crime mentioned in this Article shall be handled only upon complaint.

Article 271 Any employee of a company, enterprise or any other unit who, taking advantage of his position, unlawfully takes possession of the money or property of his own unit, if the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention; if the amount is huge,, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years and may also be sentenced to confiscation of property.

If an employee who is engaged in public service in a State-owned company, enterprise or any other State-owned unit or if a person who is assigned by a State-owned company, enterprise or any other State-owned unit to a company, enterprise or any other unit that is not owned by the State to engage in public service commits the act mentioned in the preceding paragraph, he shall be convicted and punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 382 or 383 of this Law.

Article 272 Any employee of a company, enterprise or any other unit who, taking advantage of his position, misappropriates the funds of his own unit for personal use or for loaning them to another person, if the amount is relatively large and the funds are not repaid at the expiration of three months, or if the funds are repaid before the expiration of three months but the amount involved is relatively large and the funds are used for profit-making activities or for illegal activities, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention; if the amount involved is huge,, or if it is relatively large but is not returned, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years.

If an employee who is engaged in public service in a State-owned company, enterprise or any other State-owned unit or any person who is assigned by a State-owned company, enterprise, or any other State-owned unit to a company, enterprise or any other unit that is not owned by the State to engage in public service commits any act mentioned in the preceding paragraph, he shall be convicted and punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 384 of this Law.

Article 273 In cases of misappropriation of funds or materials that are allocated for disaster relief, emergency rescue, flood prevention and control, support to disabled servicemen and families of revolutionary martyrs and servicemen, aid to the poor, migration and social relief, if the circumstances are serious and major harm is caused to the interests of the State and the people, the person who is directly responsible for the offence shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention; if the circumstances are especially serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years.

Article 274 Whoever extorts public or private money or property by blackmail, if the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance; if the amount is huge, or if there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years.

Article 275 Whoever intentionally destroys or damages public or private money or property, if the amount involved is relatively large or if there are other serious circumstances, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, or criminal detention or be fined; if the amount involved is huge, or if there are other especially serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years.

Article 276 Anyone who, for purposes of giving vent to spite or retaliating or out of other personal motives, destroys or damages machines or equipment, cruelly injures or slaughters farm animals or sabotages production and business operation by other means, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention or public surveillance; if the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years.