MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2004 Regular Session
To: Judiciary, Division B
By: Senator(s) Tollison, Albritton, Burton, Butler, Carmichael, Chamberlin, Chaney, Clarke, Dearing, Flowers, Frazier, Gordon, Harvey, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jordan, Kirby, Lee (35th), Little, Mettetal, Michel, Moffatt, Pickering, Ross, Thames, Walley, Walls, Williamson, Harden
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 97-45-19, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE A LESSER PENALTY FOR IDENTITY THEFT IN CASES INVOLVING A LESSER AMOUNT OF MONEY, TO PROVIDE FOR AGGREGATION OF AMOUNTS IN DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF AN OFFENSE, TO AUTHORIZE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS OF IDENTITY THEFT IN CLEARING THEIR RECORDS, AND TO CLARIFY THAT PERPETRATORS OF IDENTITY THEFT SHALL PAY RESTITUTION AND LEGAL INTEREST TO THEIR VICTIMS; TO AMEND SECTION 97-45-21, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CLARIFY JURISDICTION OF OFFENSES OCCURRING IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS; TO AMEND SECTION 97-45-25, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO ALLOW CERTAIN FUNDS TO BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSUMER FRAUD EDUCATION; TO AUTHORIZE A VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT TO EXPUNGE HIS RECORD OF FALSE CHARGES ACCRUED ON ACCOUNT OF ACTIVITIES OF THE PERPETRATOR; TO AUTHORIZE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO ISSUE "IDENTITY THEFT PASSPORTS" UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES; TO DEFINE IDENTITY THEFT; TO GRANT SUBPOENA POWER TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS OF IDENTITY THEFT; TO AMEND SECTIONS 97-17-41 AND 97-17-43, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE AGGREGATION OF AMOUNTS STOLEN FROM THE SAME VICTIM IN DETERMINING THE GRAVITY OF THE OFFENSE OF LARCENY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 97-45-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
97-45-19. (1) A person shall not obtain or attempt to obtain personal identity information of another person with the intent to unlawfully use that information for any of the following purposes without that person's authorization:
(a) To obtain financial credit.
(b) To purchase or otherwise obtain or lease any real or personal property.
(c) To obtain employment.
(d) To obtain access to medical records or information contained in medical records.
(e) To commit any illegal act.
(2) (a) A person who violates this section is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not less than two (2) nor more than fifteen (15) years or a fine of not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or both.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subsection (2), if the violation involves an amount of less than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00), a person who violates this section may be found guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for a term of not more than six (6) months, or by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or both, in the discretion of the court.
(c) For purposes of determining the amount of the violation, the value of all goods, property, services and other things of value obtained or attempted to be obtained by the use of an individual's identity information shall be aggregated.
(3) This section does not prohibit the person from being charged with, convicted of, or sentenced for any other violation of law committed by that person using information obtained in violation of this section.
(4) This section does not apply to a person who obtains or attempts to obtain personal identity information of another person pursuant to the discovery process of a civil action, an administrative proceeding or an arbitration proceeding.
(5) Upon the request of a person whose identifying information was appropriated, the Attorney General may provide assistance to the victim in obtaining information to correct inaccuracies or errors in the person's credit report or other identifying information; however, no legal representation shall be afforded such person by the Office of the Attorney General.
(6) A person convicted under this section or under Section 97-19-85 shall be ordered to pay restitution as provided in Section 99-37-1 et seq., and any legal interest in addition to any other fine or imprisonment which may be imposed.
SECTION 2. Section 97-45-21, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
97-45-21. (1) For purposes of bringing a criminal action under this chapter, a person who causes, by any means, the access of a computer, computer system or computer network in one jurisdiction from another jurisdiction is deemed to have personally accessed the computer, computer system or computer network in each jurisdiction.
(2) For offenses under Section 97-45-19 or Section 97-19-85 which occur in multiple jurisdictions but which do not involve a computer, computer system or computer network, jurisdiction is deemed to be proper in each jurisdiction where any element of the offense occurred.
SECTION 3. Section 97-45-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
97-45-25. In a proceeding for violations under Title 97, Chapter 45, * * * Section 97-5-33 or Section 97-19-85, the court, in addition to the criminal penalties imposed under this chapter, shall assess against the defendant convicted of such violation double those reasonable costs that are expended by the Office of Attorney General, the district attorney's office, the sheriff's office or police department involved in the investigation of such case, including, but not limited to, the cost of investigators, software and equipment utilized in the investigation, together with costs associated with process service, court reporters and expert witnesses. The Attorney General or district attorney may institute and maintain proceedings in his name for enforcement of payment in the circuit court of the county of residence of the defendant and, if the defendant is a nonresident, such proceedings shall be in the Circuit Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi. The Attorney General or district attorney shall distribute the property or interest assessed under this section as follows:
(a) Fifty percent (50%) shall be distributed to the unit of state or local government whose officers or employees conducted the investigation into computer fraud, identity theft or child exploitation which resulted in the arrest or arrests and prosecution. Amounts distributed to units of local government shall be used for training or enforcement purposes relating to detection, investigation or prosecution of computer and financial crimes, including computer fraud or child exploitation.
(b) Where the prosecution was maintained by the district attorney, fifty percent (50%) shall be distributed to the county in which the prosecution was instituted by the district attorney and appropriated to the district attorney for use in training or enforcement purposes relating to detection, investigation or prosecution of computer and financial crimes, including computer fraud or child exploitation. Where a prosecution was maintained by the Attorney General, fifty percent (50%) of the proceeds shall be paid or distributed into the Attorney General's Cyber Crime Central or the Attorney General's special fund to be used for consumer fraud education and investigative and enforcement operations of the Office of Consumer Protection. Where the Attorney General and the district attorney have participated jointly in any part of the proceedings, twenty-five percent (25%) of the property forfeited shall be paid to the county in which the prosecution occurred, and twenty-five percent (25%) shall be paid to the Attorney General's Cyber Crime Central or the Attorney General's special fund to be used for the purposes as stated in this paragraph.
SECTION 4. Any person whose name or other identification has been used without his consent or authorization by another person, with the use resulting in charges, an arrest record, or a conviction putatively on the record of the person whose name or other identification was appropriated, the person whose name or other identification has been used without his consent or authorization may file a petition for expunction of such charges or arrest record or conviction, or any of them, with any court which has jurisdiction over the matter.
SECTION 5. (1) A person who has petitioned the court pursuant to Section 4 of this act to expunge any charges, arrest record or conviction falsely entered against the person as a result of the appropriation of his name or other identifying information may submit to the Attorney General a certified copy of a court order obtained. The Office of the Attorney General may issue an "Identity Theft Passport" verifying that such order has been entered.
(2) Any person who has filed a police report alleging that the person's name or other identification has been used without the person's consent or authorization by another person may submit a copy of the police report to the Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General may issue an "Identity Theft Passport" stating that such police report has been submitted.
(3) The Office of the Attorney General may provide access to identity theft information to law enforcement agencies and individuals who have submitted a police report or court order pursuant to this chapter and any other person or entity as appropriate.
SECTION 6. (1) For the purposes of this chapter, "identity theft" includes crimes chargeable under the following provisions of law:
(a) Section 97-9-79, which relates to false information.
(b) Section 97-19-83, which relates to fraud by mail or other means of communication.
(c) Section 97-19-85, which relates to the fraudulent use of identity social security number, credit card or debit card number or other identifying information.
(d) Section 97-45-19, which relates to obtaining personal identity information of another person without authorization.
(2) (a) In conducting identity theft investigations, the Attorney General shall have the authority to issue and serve subpoenas to any person in control of any designated documents for the production of such documents, including, but not limited to, writings, drawings, graphs, charts, photographs, phono-records and other data compilations from which information can be obtained, or translated through detection devices into reasonably usable form. Such subpoenas shall require the named person, his agent or attorney, to appear and deliver the designated documents to a location in the county of his residence unless the court for good cause shown directs that the subpoena be issued for the person to deliver such documents to a location outside of the county of his residence. Mere convenience of the Attorney General shall not be considered good cause. The Attorney General or his designee shall have the authority to inspect and copy such documents. Such subpoenas shall be issued only upon the ex parte and in camera application of the Attorney General to the circuit or chancery court of the county of residence of the person in control of the documents or the circuit or chancery court of the county where the person in control of the documents may be found, and only upon a showing that the documents sought are relevant to a criminal investigation under this act or may lead to the discovery of such relevant evidence. Thereafter said court shall have jurisdiction to enforce or quash such subpoenas and to enter appropriate orders thereon, and nothing contained in this section shall affect the right of a person to assert a claim that the information sought is privileged by law.
(b) A subpoena issued pursuant to this subsection shall be in substantially the following form:
SUBPOENA TO PRODUCE DOCUMENTS
PURSUANT TO AN INVESTIGATION BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
TO:
YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED to appear before the Attorney General of the State of Mississippi or his designated staff attorney at the place, date and time specified below in an investigation being conducted by the Attorney General pursuant to Section ______, Mississippi Code of 1972:
Place ____________ Date and Time ____________
YOU ARE ALSO COMMANDED to bring with you the following document(s) or object(s) ____________________________________.
You are advised that the ___ Court of the ___ Judicial District of __________ County, Mississippi, has approved the ex parte and in camera application of the Attorney General to issue this subpoena, and jurisdiction to enforce and/or quash the subpoena and to enter appropriate orders thereon is statutorily vested in the said court; enforcement and penal provisions applicable to an Attorney General's investigation include those set forth in Section ______, Mississippi Code of 1972; and disclosure of testimony and/or records coming into possession of the Attorney General pursuant to this subpoena shall be limited by and subject to the provisions of said section (for informational purposes, these cited statutes are reproduced on the reverse side of this subpoena).
You may wish to consult an attorney in regard to this subpoena. You have certain state and federal constitutional rights, including your protection against self-incrimination and unreasonable search and seizure which this subpoena may affect.
ISSUED BY AND UNDER SEAL OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, this the ___ day of __________, 20___.
(SEAL)________________________________
(c) Following service of any subpoena, pursuant to the provisions of this subsection, a record of the return shall be made and kept by the Attorney General and subject only to such disclosure as may be authorized pursuant to the provisions of this section.
(3) Enforcement and penal provisions applicable to an investigation under this section shall include the following:
(a) If a person who has been served with a subpoena, which has been issued and served upon him in accordance with the provisions of this section, shall fail to deliver or have delivered the designated documents at the time and place required in the subpoena, on application of the Attorney General the circuit or chancery court having approved the issuance of the subpoena may issue an attachment for such person, returnable immediately, or at such time and place as the court may direct. Bond may be required and fine imposed and proceedings had thereon as in the case of a subpoenaed witness who fails to appear in circuit or chancery court.
(b) Every person who shall knowingly and willfully obstruct, interfere with or impede an investigation under this section by concealing or destroying any documents, papers or other tangible evidence which are relevant to an investigation under this section shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(c) Every person who shall knowingly and willfully endeavor, by means of bribery, force or intimidation, to obstruct, delay or prevent the communication of information to any agent or employee of the Office of the Attorney General or who injures another person for the purpose of preventing the communication of such information or an account of the giving of such information relevant to an investigation under this section shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(d) The provisions of paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this subsection shall not prohibit the enforcement of, or prosecution under, any other statutes of this state.
(4) (a) If any person shall refuse, or is likely to refuse, on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination, to produce the designated documents as requested by a subpoena issued under this section or issued by a court, the Attorney General may request the court, ex parte and in camera, to issue an order requiring such person to produce the documents information which he refuses to give or provide on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination. The Attorney General may request said order under this subsection when, in his judgment:
(i) The documents sought from such individual may be necessary to the public interest; and
(ii) Such individual has refused or is likely to refuse to produce the designated document on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination.
Following such request, an order shall issue in accordance with this section requiring such person to produce the documents which he refuses to produce on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination.
(b) Whenever a witness refuses, on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination, to produce documents, and the court issues to the witness an order under paragraph (a) of this subsection, the witness may not refuse to comply with the order on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination, but no documents or information compelled under the aforesaid order, or any information directly or indirectly derived from such documents may be used against the witness in any criminal proceeding, except a prosecution for perjury, giving a false statement, or otherwise failing to comply with the order.
(5) Documents in the possession of the Attorney General gathered pursuant to the provisions of this section and subpoenas issued by him shall be maintained in confidential files with access limited to prosecutorial and other law enforcement investigative personnel on a "need to know" basis and shall be exempt from the provisions of the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983, except that upon the filing of an indictment or information, or upon the filing of an action for recovery of property, funds or fines, such documents shall be subject to such disclosure as may be required pursuant to the applicable statutes or court rules governing the trial of any such judicial proceeding.
(6) No person, including the Attorney General, a member of his staff, prosecuting attorney, law enforcement officer, witness, court reporter, attorney or other person, shall disclose to an unauthorized person documents, including subpoenas issued and served, gathered by the Attorney General pursuant to the provisions of this section, except that upon the filing of an indictment or information, or upon the filing of an action for recovery of property, funds or fines, or in other legal proceedings, such documents shall be subject to such disclosure as may be required pursuant to applicable statutes and court rules governing the trial of any such judicial proceeding. In event of an unauthorized disclosure of any such documents gathered by the Attorney General pursuant to the provisions of this section, the person making any such unauthorized disclosure shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or imprisonment of not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(7) The powers of the Attorney General under this section shall not diminish the powers of local authorities to investigate or prosecute any type of identity theft crime or any other criminal conduct within their respective jurisdictions, and the provisions of this section shall be in addition to the powers and authority previously granted the Attorney General by common, constitutional, statutory or case law.
SECTION 7. Section 97-17-41, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
97-17-41. (1) Every person who shall be convicted of taking and carrying away, feloniously, the personal property of another, of the value of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or more, shall be guilty of grand larceny, and shall be imprisoned in the Penitentiary for a term not exceeding ten (10) years; or shall be fined not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or both. The total value of property taken and carried away by the person from a single victim shall be aggregated in determining the gravity of the offense.
(2) Every person who shall be convicted of taking and carrying away, feloniously, the property of a church, synagogue, temple or other established place of worship, of the value of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or more, shall be guilty of grand larceny, and shall be imprisoned in the Penitentiary for a term not exceeding ten (10) years, or shall be fined not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or both.
SECTION 8. Section 97-17-43, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
97-17-43. (1) If any person shall feloniously take, steal and carry away any personal property of another under the value of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), he shall be guilty of petit larceny and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six (6) months or by fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or both. The total value of property taken, stolen or carried away by the person from a single victim shall be aggregated in determining the gravity of the offense.
(2) If any person shall feloniously take, steal and carry away any property of a church, synagogue, temple or other established place of worship under the value of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), he shall be guilty of petit larceny and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one (1) year or by fine not exceeding Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00), or both.
(3) Any person who leaves the premises of an establishment at which motor fuel offered for retail sale was dispensed into the fuel tank of a motor vehicle by driving away in that motor vehicle without having made due payment or authorized charge for the motor fuel so dispensed, with intent to defraud the retail establishment, shall be guilty of petit larceny and punished as provided in subsection (1) of this section and, upon any second or subsequent such offense, the driver's license of the person shall be suspended as follows:
(a) The person shall submit the driver's license to the court upon conviction and the court shall forward the driver's license to the Department of Public Safety.
(b) The first suspension of a driver's license under this subsection shall be for a period of six (6) months.
(c) A second or subsequent suspension of a driver's license under this subsection shall be for a period of one (1) year.
(d) At the expiration of the suspension period, and upon payment of a restoration fee of Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00), the suspension shall terminate and the Department of Public Safety shall return the person's driver's license to the person. The restoration fee shall be in addition to the fees provided for in Title 63, Chapter 1, and shall be deposited into the State General Fund in accordance with Section 45-1-23.
SECTION 9. The publisher is directed to amend the chapter heading of Title 97, Chapter 45, Mississippi Code of 1972, so as to refer to "Computer Crimes and Identity Theft."
SECTION 10. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2004.