• catch smb with the goods – поймать с поличным
См. также: withdraw a petition, within the time established by, withdraw charges, with the connivance of authorities
A thief caught in the act was killed without trial; a thief caught with the goods was subject to a trial and at most to the payment of monetary damages. (Rethinking Criminal Law)
There are still shops where you have to go to the cash desk with a bit of paper, and many where you go, with the goods in your hand, to the tills under a sign that says Pay Here. (Senior Member, Devon, British English, WordReference.com)
