Bill > S1649

This bill establishes a new crime called "fiscal victimization" specifically targeting senior citizens (defined as individuals 60 years of age or older) and persons with disabilities (defined as those substantially incapable of resisting due to a physical or mental impairment). It makes it a crime to commit, attempt, conspire to commit, or threaten to commit a theft offense, as defined in chapter 20 of Title 2C of New Jersey Statutes, or a violation of N.J.S.2C:21-17 against such vulnerable individuals. Importantly, if the victim is a senior citizen or a person with a disability, the perpetrator is strictly liable, meaning it's no defense to claim they didn't know the victim's status, even if they reasonably believed otherwise. The severity of the fiscal victimization charge is determined by the underlying theft offense; it's a fourth-degree crime if the underlying offense is a lesser offense, and one degree higher than the most serious underlying crime, with first-degree crimes leading to a potential 10-to-30-year sentence. Furthermore, convictions for fiscal victimization will not merge with convictions for the underlying theft offenses, meaning separate sentences will be imposed, although the fiscal victimization charge will be dismissed if the underlying theft offense is dismissed or downgraded to an offense not involving theft.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S1649