"The odds that Steven would have been in jail (the prison scene) for "receiving stolen property" are slim to none, and after an interview Steven would have likely been cited at the police station and given a court date. Some states have a separate but similar charge called "possessing stolen property" or "possession of stolen property." The distinguishing factor here is when the accused learned the goods were stolen. If he knew at the time he acquired the property, then it is receipt of stolen property. It is possession of stolen property if he only learned the property was stolen after he obtained it. All Steven had to do was tell the police who Chip Douglas really was, and Steven would have been sent home and it would have been The Cable Guy who would have been arrested."
... but the Police Officers and Guards seen in these scenes are all "Preferred Customers" and they clearly went outside the law to lock up Steven at the request of Chip. Since this is still a comedy film, the suspension of disbelief is held when it is acknowledged at least twice in these scenes that Chip is manipulating the authorities with his connections via long-time cable hook-ups; and we'd seen the arresting cop at the karaoke party earlier in the film, too.
