1,204. Those Who Steal from the Public

182:7 Let's say that there's a person who robs the public, such as a shopkeeper with dishonest scales, or a public official who acts leniently towards his relatives and stringently towards others, or one who charges interest to the public. It's difficult for any of these people to properly repent. Therefore, such a person should contribute to public works projects so the victims of his dishonesty will also benefit from this. In any case, he must repay any person whom he knows he robbed. He does not fulfill this obligation by funding public works.

182:8 It's forbidden to purchase a stolen object from a thief or a robber. It makes no difference whether the thief is Jewish or non-Jewish, since non-Jews are also commanded not to rob and steal, even from one another. This is one the seven laws commanded to all mankind. It's a great sin for one to purchase stolen goods because doing so supports criminals in their misdeeds. This is the meaning of Proverbs 29:24, "the one who partners with a thief hates his own soul." He encourages the thief to steal more because if the thief couldn't find a buyer, he wouldn't steal. Yes, it's possible that the thief could take the stolen object to a place where people don't know him, but this isn't very common. If the buyer's intention is to benefit the rightful owners of the stolen item by returning it to them when they pay him back, then it is permitted but only if it isn't possible for the owners to recover the item themselves. It is similarly prohibited to receive as a deposit something that appears to have been stolen.