| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | AN ACT concerning criminal law.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Section 5. The Criminal Code of 2012 is amended by changing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Section 17-2 as follows:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (720 ILCS 5/17-2) (from Ch. 38, par. 17-2)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Sec. 17-2. False personation; solicitation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (a) False personation; solicitation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | (1) A person commits a false personation when he or she | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | knowingly and falsely represents
himself or herself to be a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | member or representative of any
veterans' or public safety | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | personnel organization
or a representative of
any | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | charitable organization, or when he or she knowingly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | exhibits or uses in any manner
any decal, badge or insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | of any
charitable, public safety personnel, or veterans' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | organization
when not authorized to
do so by the
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | charitable, public safety personnel, or veterans' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | organization.
"Public safety personnel organization" has | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | the meaning ascribed to that term
in Section 1 of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | Solicitation for Charity Act.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | (2) A person commits a false personation when he or she | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | knowingly and falsely
represents himself or herself to be a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | veteran in seeking employment or
public office.
In this |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | paragraph, "veteran" means a person who has served in the
| ||||||
2 | Armed Services or Reserve
Forces of the United States.
| ||||||
3 | (2.1) A person commits a false personation when he or | ||||||
4 | she knowingly and falsely
represents himself or herself to | ||||||
5 | be: | ||||||
6 | (A) an active-duty member of the Armed Services or | ||||||
7 | Reserve
Forces of the United States or the National | ||||||
8 | Guard or a veteran of the Armed Services or Reserve
| ||||||
9 | Forces of the United States or the National Guard; and | ||||||
10 | (B) obtains money, property, or another tangible | ||||||
11 | benefit through that false representation. | ||||||
12 | In this paragraph, "member of the Armed Services or | ||||||
13 | Reserve
Forces of the United States" means a member of the | ||||||
14 | United States Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast | ||||||
15 | Guard; and "veteran" means a person who has served in the
| ||||||
16 | Armed Services or Reserve
Forces of the United States or | ||||||
17 | the National Guard. | ||||||
18 | (2.5) A person commits a false personation when he or | ||||||
19 | she knowingly and falsely represents himself or herself to | ||||||
20 | be: | ||||||
21 | (A) another actual person and does an act in such | ||||||
22 | assumed character with intent to intimidate, threaten, | ||||||
23 | injure, defraud, or to obtain a benefit from another; | ||||||
24 | or | ||||||
25 | (B) a representative of an actual person or | ||||||
26 | organization and does an act in such false capacity |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | with intent to obtain a benefit or to injure or defraud | ||||||
2 | another. | ||||||
3 | (3) No person shall knowingly use the words "Police", | ||||||
4 | "Police
Department", "Patrolman", "Sergeant", | ||||||
5 | "Lieutenant",
"Peace Officer", "Sheriff's Police", | ||||||
6 | "Sheriff", "Officer", "Law Enforcement", "Trooper", | ||||||
7 | "Deputy", "Deputy Sheriff", "State Police",
or
any other | ||||||
8 | words to the same effect (i) in the title
of any | ||||||
9 | organization, magazine, or other publication without the | ||||||
10 | express
approval of the named public safety personnel | ||||||
11 | organization's governing board or (ii) in combination with | ||||||
12 | the name of any state, state agency, public university, or | ||||||
13 | unit of local government without the express written | ||||||
14 | authorization of that state, state agency, public | ||||||
15 | university, or unit of local government.
| ||||||
16 | (4) No person may knowingly claim or represent that he | ||||||
17 | or she is acting on behalf
of
any public safety personnel | ||||||
18 | organization when soliciting financial contributions or | ||||||
19 | selling or
delivering or offering
to sell or deliver any | ||||||
20 | merchandise, goods, services, memberships, or
| ||||||
21 | advertisements unless the
chief of the police department, | ||||||
22 | fire department, and the
corporate or municipal authority | ||||||
23 | thereof,
or the sheriff has first
entered into a written
| ||||||
24 | agreement with the person or with an organization with | ||||||
25 | which the person is
affiliated and the
agreement permits | ||||||
26 | the activity and specifies and states clearly and fully the |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | purpose for which the proceeds of the solicitation, | ||||||
2 | contribution, or sale will be used.
| ||||||
3 | (5) No person, when soliciting financial contributions | ||||||
4 | or selling or
delivering or offering
to sell or deliver any | ||||||
5 | merchandise, goods, services, memberships, or
| ||||||
6 | advertisements may claim
or represent that he or she is | ||||||
7 | representing or acting on behalf of any
nongovernmental
| ||||||
8 | organization by any name which includes "officer", "peace | ||||||
9 | officer", "police",
"law
enforcement", "trooper", | ||||||
10 | "sheriff", "deputy", "deputy sheriff", "State police",
or | ||||||
11 | any other word
or words which would reasonably be | ||||||
12 | understood to imply that the organization is
composed of
| ||||||
13 | law enforcement personnel unless: | ||||||
14 | (A) the person is actually representing or acting
| ||||||
15 | on behalf of the
nongovernmental organization; | ||||||
16 | (B) the nongovernmental organization is
controlled | ||||||
17 | by and
governed by a membership of and represents a | ||||||
18 | group or association of active
duty peace officers,
| ||||||
19 | retired peace officers, or injured peace officers; and | ||||||
20 | (C) before commencing the
solicitation or the
sale | ||||||
21 | or the offers to sell any merchandise, goods, services, | ||||||
22 | memberships, or
advertisements, a
written contract | ||||||
23 | between the soliciting or selling person and the
| ||||||
24 | nongovernmental
organization, which specifies and | ||||||
25 | states clearly and fully the purposes for which the | ||||||
26 | proceeds of the solicitation, contribution, or sale |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | will be used, has been entered into.
| ||||||
2 | (6) No person, when soliciting financial contributions | ||||||
3 | or selling or
delivering or
offering to sell or deliver any | ||||||
4 | merchandise, goods, services, memberships, or
| ||||||
5 | advertisements,
may knowingly claim or represent that he or | ||||||
6 | she is representing or acting on behalf of
any | ||||||
7 | nongovernmental
organization by any name which includes | ||||||
8 | the term "fireman", "fire fighter",
"paramedic", or any
| ||||||
9 | other word or words which would reasonably be understood to | ||||||
10 | imply that the
organization is
composed of fire fighter or | ||||||
11 | paramedic personnel unless: | ||||||
12 | (A) the person is actually
representing or
acting | ||||||
13 | on behalf of the nongovernmental organization; | ||||||
14 | (B) the nongovernmental
organization is
controlled | ||||||
15 | by and governed by a membership of and represents a | ||||||
16 | group or
association of active
duty, retired, or | ||||||
17 | injured fire fighters (for the purposes of this | ||||||
18 | Section,
"fire fighter" has the
meaning ascribed to | ||||||
19 | that term in Section 2 of the Illinois Fire Protection
| ||||||
20 | Training Act)
or active duty, retired, or injured | ||||||
21 | emergency medical technicians - ambulance,
emergency
| ||||||
22 | medical technicians - intermediate, emergency medical | ||||||
23 | technicians - paramedic,
ambulance
drivers, or other | ||||||
24 | medical assistance or first aid personnel; and | ||||||
25 | (C) before
commencing the solicitation
or the sale | ||||||
26 | or delivery or the offers to sell or deliver any |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | merchandise,
goods, services,
memberships, or | ||||||
2 | advertisements, the soliciting or selling person and | ||||||
3 | the nongovernmental organization have entered into a | ||||||
4 | written contract that specifies and states clearly and | ||||||
5 | fully the purposes for which the proceeds of the | ||||||
6 | solicitation, contribution, or sale will be used.
| ||||||
7 | (7) No person may knowingly claim or represent that he | ||||||
8 | or she is an airman, airline employee, airport employee, or | ||||||
9 | contractor at an airport in order to obtain the uniform, | ||||||
10 | identification card, license, or other identification | ||||||
11 | paraphernalia of an airman, airline employee, airport | ||||||
12 | employee, or contractor at an airport.
| ||||||
13 | (8) No person, firm,
copartnership, or corporation | ||||||
14 | (except corporations organized and doing business
under | ||||||
15 | the Pawners Societies Act)
shall knowingly use a name that | ||||||
16 | contains in it the words
"Pawners' Society". | ||||||
17 | (b) False personation; public officials and employees. A | ||||||
18 | person commits a false personation if he or she knowingly and | ||||||
19 | falsely represents himself or herself to be any of the | ||||||
20 | following: | ||||||
21 | (1) An attorney authorized to practice law for purposes | ||||||
22 | of compensation or consideration. This paragraph (b)(1) | ||||||
23 | does not apply to a person who unintentionally fails to pay | ||||||
24 | attorney registration fees established by Supreme Court | ||||||
25 | Rule. | ||||||
26 | (2) A public officer or a public employee or an |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | official or employee of the federal government. | ||||||
2 | (2.3) A public officer, a public employee, or an | ||||||
3 | official or employee of the federal government, and the | ||||||
4 | false representation is made in furtherance of the | ||||||
5 | commission of felony. | ||||||
6 | (2.7) A public officer or a public employee, and the | ||||||
7 | false representation is for the purpose of effectuating | ||||||
8 | identity theft as defined in Section 16-30 of this Code. | ||||||
9 | (3) A peace officer. | ||||||
10 | (4) A peace officer while carrying a deadly weapon. | ||||||
11 | (5) A peace officer in attempting or committing a | ||||||
12 | felony. | ||||||
13 | (6) A peace officer in attempting or committing a | ||||||
14 | forcible felony. | ||||||
15 | (7) The parent, legal guardian, or other relation of a | ||||||
16 | minor child to any public official, public employee, or | ||||||
17 | elementary or secondary school employee or administrator. | ||||||
18 | (7.5) The legal guardian, including any representative | ||||||
19 | of a State or public guardian, of a person with a | ||||||
20 | disability appointed under Article XIa of the Probate Act | ||||||
21 | of 1975. | ||||||
22 | (8) A fire fighter. | ||||||
23 | (9) A fire fighter while carrying a deadly weapon. | ||||||
24 | (10) A fire fighter in attempting or committing a | ||||||
25 | felony. | ||||||
26 | (11) An emergency management worker of any |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | jurisdiction in this State. | ||||||
2 | (12) An emergency management worker of any | ||||||
3 | jurisdiction in this State in attempting or committing a | ||||||
4 | felony.
For the purposes of this subsection (b), "emergency | ||||||
5 | management worker" has the meaning provided under Section | ||||||
6 | 2-6.6 of this Code. | ||||||
7 | (b-5) The trier of fact may infer that a person falsely | ||||||
8 | represents himself or herself to be a public officer or a | ||||||
9 | public employee or an official or employee of the federal | ||||||
10 | government if the person: | ||||||
11 | (1) wears or displays without authority any uniform, | ||||||
12 | badge, insignia, or facsimile thereof by which a public | ||||||
13 | officer or public employee or official or employee of the | ||||||
14 | federal government is lawfully distinguished; or | ||||||
15 | (2) falsely expresses by word or action that he or she | ||||||
16 | is a public officer or public employee or official or | ||||||
17 | employee of the federal government and is acting with | ||||||
18 | approval or authority of a public agency or department. | ||||||
19 | (c) Fraudulent advertisement of a corporate name. | ||||||
20 | (1) A company, association, or individual commits | ||||||
21 | fraudulent advertisement of a corporate name if he, she, or | ||||||
22 | it, not being incorporated, puts forth a sign or | ||||||
23 | advertisement and assumes, for the purpose of soliciting | ||||||
24 | business, a corporate name. | ||||||
25 | (2) Nothing contained in this subsection (c) prohibits | ||||||
26 | a corporation, company, association, or person from using a |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | divisional designation or trade name in conjunction with | ||||||
2 | its corporate name or assumed name under Section 4.05 of | ||||||
3 | the Business Corporation Act of 1983 or, if it is a member | ||||||
4 | of a partnership or joint venture, from doing partnership | ||||||
5 | or joint venture business under the partnership or joint | ||||||
6 | venture name. The name under which the joint venture or | ||||||
7 | partnership does business may differ from the names of the | ||||||
8 | members. Business may not be conducted or transacted under | ||||||
9 | that joint venture or partnership name, however, unless all | ||||||
10 | provisions of the Assumed Business Name Act have been | ||||||
11 | complied with. Nothing in this subsection (c) permits a | ||||||
12 | foreign corporation to do business in this State without | ||||||
13 | complying with all Illinois laws regulating the doing of | ||||||
14 | business by foreign corporations. No foreign corporation | ||||||
15 | may conduct or transact business in this State as a member | ||||||
16 | of a partnership or joint venture that violates any | ||||||
17 | Illinois law regulating or pertaining to the doing of | ||||||
18 | business by foreign corporations in Illinois. | ||||||
19 | (3) The provisions of this subsection (c) do not apply | ||||||
20 | to limited partnerships formed under the Revised Uniform | ||||||
21 | Limited Partnership Act or under the Uniform Limited | ||||||
22 | Partnership Act (2001). | ||||||
23 | (d) False law enforcement badges. | ||||||
24 | (1) A person commits false law enforcement badges if he | ||||||
25 | or she knowingly produces, sells, or distributes a law | ||||||
26 | enforcement badge without the express written consent of |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | the law enforcement agency represented on the badge or, in | ||||||
2 | case of a reorganized or defunct law enforcement agency, | ||||||
3 | its successor law enforcement agency. | ||||||
4 | (2) It is a defense to false law enforcement badges | ||||||
5 | that the law enforcement badge is used or is intended to be | ||||||
6 | used exclusively: (i) as a memento or in a collection or | ||||||
7 | exhibit; (ii) for decorative purposes; or (iii) for a | ||||||
8 | dramatic presentation, such as a theatrical, film, or | ||||||
9 | television production. | ||||||
10 | (e) False medals. | ||||||
11 | (1) A person commits a false personation if he or she | ||||||
12 | knowingly and falsely represents himself or herself to be a | ||||||
13 | recipient of, or wears on his or her person, any of the | ||||||
14 | following medals if that medal was not awarded to that | ||||||
15 | person by the United States Government, irrespective of | ||||||
16 | branch of service: The Congressional Medal of Honor, The | ||||||
17 | Distinguished Service Cross, The Navy Cross, The Air Force | ||||||
18 | Cross, The Silver Star, The Bronze Star, or the Purple | ||||||
19 | Heart. | ||||||
20 | (2) It is a defense to a prosecution under paragraph | ||||||
21 | (e)(1) that the medal is used, or is intended to be used, | ||||||
22 | exclusively: | ||||||
23 | (A) for a dramatic presentation, such as a | ||||||
24 | theatrical, film, or television production, or a | ||||||
25 | historical re-enactment; or | ||||||
26 | (B) for a costume worn, or intended to be worn, by |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | a person under 18 years of age. | ||||||
2 | (f) Sentence. | ||||||
3 | (1) A violation of paragraph (a)(8) is a petty offense | ||||||
4 | subject to a fine of not less than $5 nor more than $100, | ||||||
5 | and the person, firm, copartnership, or corporation | ||||||
6 | commits an additional petty offense for each day he, she, | ||||||
7 | or it continues to commit the violation. A violation of | ||||||
8 | paragraph (c)(1) is a petty offense, and the company, | ||||||
9 | association, or person commits an additional petty offense | ||||||
10 | for each day he, she, or it continues to commit the | ||||||
11 | violation. A violation of paragraph (a)(2.1) or subsection | ||||||
12 | (e) is a petty offense for which the offender shall be | ||||||
13 | fined at least $100 and not more than $200. | ||||||
14 | (2) A violation of paragraph (a)(1), (a)(3), or | ||||||
15 | (b)(7.5) is a Class C misdemeanor. | ||||||
16 | (3) A violation of paragraph (a)(2), (a)(2.5), (a)(7), | ||||||
17 | (b)(2), or (b)(7) or subsection (d) is a Class A | ||||||
18 | misdemeanor. A second or subsequent violation of | ||||||
19 | subsection (d) is a Class 3 felony. | ||||||
20 | (4) A violation of paragraph (a)(4), (a)(5), (a)(6), | ||||||
21 | (b)(1), (b)(2.3), (b)(2.7), (b)(3), (b)(8), or (b)(11) is a | ||||||
22 | Class 4 felony. | ||||||
23 | (5) A violation of paragraph (b)(4), (b)(9), or (b)(12) | ||||||
24 | is a Class 3 felony. | ||||||
25 | (6) A violation of paragraph (b)(5) or (b)(10) is a | ||||||
26 | Class 2 felony. |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | (7) A violation of paragraph (b)(6) is a Class 1 | ||||||
2 | felony.
| ||||||
3 | (8) A violation of paragraph (a)(2.1) is a Class A | ||||||
4 | misdemeanor for which the offender shall be fined $5,000. | ||||||
5 | (g) A violation of subsection (a)(1) through (a)(7) or | ||||||
6 | subsection (e) of this Section may be accomplished in person or | ||||||
7 | by any means of communication, including but not limited to the | ||||||
8 | use of an Internet website or any form of electronic | ||||||
9 | communication. | ||||||
10 | (Source: P.A. 98-1125, eff. 1-1-15; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15; | ||||||
11 | 99-561, eff. 7-15-16; revised 9-2-16.)
|