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92nd General Assembly

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Public Act 92-0808

HB4321 Enrolled                               LRB9213690RCcdA

    AN ACT in relation to criminal law.

    Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

    Section   5.   The  Criminal  Code  of 1961 is amended by
changing Section 16-1.3 as follows:

    (720 ILCS 5/16-1.3) (from Ch. 38, par. 16-1.3)
    Sec. 16-1.3.  Financial exploitation of an elderly person
or a person with a disability.
    (a)  A  person   commits   the   offense   of   financial
exploitation  of  an  elderly  person  or  a  person  with  a
disability  when  he or she stands in a  position of trust or
confidence with  the  elderly  person  or  a  person  with  a
disability  and  he  or  she  knowingly  and  by deception or
intimidation obtains control over the property of an  elderly
person  or  a  person  with  a  disability with the intent to
permanently deprive the elderly person or the person  with  a
disability  of  the use, benefit, or possession of his or her
property.
    Financial exploitation of an elderly person or  a  person
with  a  disability  is  a Class 4 felony if the value of the
property is $300 or less, a Class 3 felony if  the  value  of
the  property is more than $300 but less than $5,000, a Class
2 felony if the value of the property is $5,000 or  more  but
less  than  $100,000 and a Class 1 felony if the value of the
property is $100,000 or more or if the elderly person is over
70 years of age and the value of the property is  $15,000  or
more or if the elderly person is 80 years of age or older and
the value of the property is $5,000 or more.
    (b)  For purposes of this Section:
         (1)  "Elderly person" means a person 60 years of age
    or  older  who  is  suffering from a disease or infirmity
    that impairs the individual's mental or physical  ability
    to  independently manage his or her property or financial
    resources, or both.
         (2)  "Person with a disability" means a  person  who
    suffers  from  a  permanent physical or mental impairment
    resulting from disease, injury,  functional  disorder  or
    congenital condition that impairs the individual's mental
    or  physical  ability  to independently manage his or her
    property or financial resources, or both.
         (3)  "Intimidation" means the  communication  to  an
    elderly  person  or a person with a disability that he or
    she shall be deprived of  food  and  nutrition,  shelter,
    prescribed medication or medical care and treatment.
         (4)  "Deception"  means,  in addition to its meaning
    as  defined   in   Section   15-4   of   this   Code,   a
    misrepresentation   or   concealment   of  material  fact
    relating to the terms of a contract or agreement  entered
    into  with the elderly person or person with a disability
    or to the existing or pre-existing condition  of  any  of
    the  property  involved in such contract or agreement; or
    the use or employment  of  any  misrepresentation,  false
    pretense  or  false promise in order to induce, encourage
    or solicit the elderly person or person with a disability
    to enter into a contract or agreement.
    (c)  For purposes of this Section, a person stands  in  a
position  of  trust  and confidence with an elderly person or
person with a disability when he (1)  is  a  parent,  spouse,
adult  child  or  other  relative by blood or marriage of the
elderly person or person with a disability, (2)  is  a  joint
tenant  or tenant in common with the elderly person or person
with  a  disability,  or  (3)  has  a  legal   or   fiduciary
relationship  with  the  elderly  person  or  person  with  a
disability,  or  (4)  is  a  financial planning or investment
professional.
    (d)  Nothing in this Section shall be construed to  limit
the  remedies  available  to  the  victim  under the Illinois
Domestic Violence Act of 1986.
    (e)  Nothing in this Section shall be construed to impose
criminal liability on a person who  has  made  a  good  faith
effort  to  assist  the  elderly  person  or  person  with  a
disability  in  the  management  of  his or her property, but
through no fault of his or her own has been unable to provide
such assistance.
    (f)  It shall not be a defense to financial  exploitation
of  an  elderly  person  or person with a disability that the
accused reasonably  believed  that  the  victim  was  not  an
elderly person or person with a disability.
    (g)  Civil   Liability.   A  person  who  is  charged  by
information or  indictment  with  the  offense  of  financial
exploitation of an elderly person or person with a disability
and  who  fails  or  refuses  to return the victim's property
within 60 days following a written demand from the victim  or
the  victim's  legal  representative  shall  be liable to the
victim or to the estate of the victim in  damages  of  treble
the  amount  of  the  value  of  the  property obtained, plus
reasonable attorney fees and  court  costs.   The  burden  of
proof  that  the  defendant  unlawfully obtained the victim's
property shall be by a preponderance of the  evidence.   This
subsection  shall  be  operative whether or not the defendant
has been convicted of the offense.
(Source: P.A. 91-236, eff. 7-22-99.)

    Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
becoming law.
    Passed in the General Assembly May 30, 2002.
    Approved August 21, 2002.
    Effective August 21, 2002.

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