(225 ILCS 470/56) (from Ch. 147, par. 156)

Sec. 56. (1) A person who, by himself or herself or by his or her employee or agent or as the employee or agent of another person, performs any of the acts enumerated in subparagraphs (A) through (J) of this Section is guilty of a business offense and shall be fined not less than $1,000 for the first offense; not less than $1,500 on a second offense; and not less than $2,500 for a third offense.

(A) Use or possess for the purpose of using for any commercial purpose specified in Section 10 of this Act, sell, offer, or expose for sale or hire, or possess for the purpose of selling or hiring, an incorrect weight or measure or any device or instrument used to or calculated to falsify any weight or measure.

(B) Use or possess for the purpose of current use for any commercial purpose specified in Section 10 of this Act, a weight or measure without a seal or mark as required by Section 14, unless such weight or measure has been exempted from testing by the provisions of Section 10, or by a regulation of the Director issued under the authority of Section 8, of this Act.

(C) Dispose of any rejected or condemned weight or measure in a manner contrary to law or regulation.

(D) Remove from any weight or measure, contrary to law or regulation, any tag, seal or mark placed thereon by the appropriate authority.

(E) Sell or offer or expose for sale less than the quantity he or she represents of any commodity, thing or service.

(F) Take more than the quantity he represents of any commodity, thing or service, when, as buyer, he or she furnishes the weight or measure by means of which the amount of the commodity, thing or service is determined.

(G) Retain for the purpose of sale, advertise, or offer or expose for sale, or sell, any commodity, thing or service in a condition or manner contrary to law or regulation.

(H) Use in retail trade, except in preparation of packages put up in advance of sale and of medical prescriptions, a weight or measure that is not so positioned that its indications may be accurately read and the weighing or measuring operation observed from a position which may reasonably be assumed by a customer.

(I) By himself or herself or by the person's agent, or as servant or agent of another person, fail to disclose to the Department of Agriculture any knowledge of information relating to, or observation of, any device or instrument added to or modifying any weight or measure for the purpose of selling, or offering or exposing for sale, less than the quantity represented of a commodity or calculated to falsify the weight or measure, if the person is an owner or employee of an entity involved in the installation, repair, sale, or inspection of weighing or measuring devices.

(J) Violate a provision of this Act or of the regulations promulgated pursuant to this Act for which a specific penalty has not been prescribed.

(2) A person who, by himself or herself or by the person's servant or agent, or as a servant or agent of another person, performs any of the following acts is guilty of a Class 3 felony and subject to a fine of not less than $1,000.00 or not more than $10,000.00 or the total amount of any money gained for each day on which a violation has been found, whichever is greater, or by imprisonment, or both:

(A) Adds to or modifies a commercial weight or measure by the addition of a device or instrument that would allow the sale, or the offering or exposure for sale, of less than the quantity represented of a commodity or falsification of the weight or measure.

(B) Commits as a fourth or subsequent offense any of the acts listed in subsection (1) of this Section, violates a written notice from the Department, or removes a Department seal.

(Source: P.A. 96-1333, eff. 7-27-10.)