Petersburg Virginia Fraud Laws

Petersburg – Virginia Fraud Laws

  • 18.2-178. Obtaining money or signature, etc., by false pretense.
  1. If any individual acquires, by any token or false pretense, from another individual, with the intention to embezzle, property gift certificate or money that may be the subject of larceny, that individual shall be judged guilty of larceny thereof; or if that individual obtains, by any token or false pretense, with such intent, the signature of any person to a writing, the false making whereof would be forgery, that individual shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
  1. Venue for the trial of any person charged with an offense under this section may be in the county or city in which
  1. any act was performed in furtherance of the offense, or
  2. the person charged with the offense resided at the time of the offense.

What is meant by “False Pretenses”

As per the state of Virginia’s Commonwealth, any claims and accusations of false pretenses on an offender will be taken as a case of fraud. It is deliberated as stealing by lying. The city of Petersburg – Virginia takes every false pretenses charge as theft. For that reason, the sentence for false pretenses is kept as a larceny. The punishment by the state will be set accordingly, based on the price of the obtained property. Property can mean gift certificates, money, or any such property “subject of larceny.”

What are some of the Crimes that can be Regarded As Fraud?

Chapter 6 of Code of Virginia, “Crimes Involving Fraud”, covers all of the below crimes that are considered as fraud.

  1. Offenses Relating To Credit Cards
  2. Misrepresentations And Other Offenses Connected With Sales
  3. Miscellaneous False And Fraudulent Acts
  4. Impersonation
  5. False Representations To Obtain Property Or Credit
    • Offenses Involving Electronic Communication Devices
  6. Forgery
  7. False Pretenses
  8. Cigarette Delivery Sale Requirements
  9. Bad Check Law

What is the Penalty for False Pretenses Charges in the city of Petersburg – Virginia?

According to the Code of Virginia, any individual caught in the offense of false pretenses will be charged guilty of larceny. The state of Virginia’s Commonwealth will punish the wrongdoer for the charge of a larceny. Virginia larcenies are taken as felonies or misdemeanors subject to the taken property’s value.

  1. Misdemeanor (petty larceny): If the taken property is found to be of a value less than $200, the punishment of this charge will be a fine of no more than $2500 and jail time of no more than 12 months.
  1. Felony (grand larceny): The penalty for this offense will be a fine of maximum $2500, and jail time of no more than 1 to 20 years.

Substantial Proof of False Pretenses Before the Offender Is Convicted Of This Offense

Before the offender is convicted of a false pretenses charge, the state of Virginia’s Commonwealth must have proof.

  1. There must be solid evidence that the wrongdoer has implied, written, or spoken of making a false representation.
  2. There must be solid proof of the wrongdoer’s intent to defraud another person when the false representation was made.
  3. There must be solid proof of the offender’s false representation resulting in another individual parting from their property.
  4. There must be solid proof of the taken property value. The case of false pretense will be valid if the wrongdoer is found to have obtained both, possession and the title of the money or property.