Bill > S1888

This bill amends existing New Jersey law to increase penalties for identity theft when the victim is a senior citizen, defined as a person 62 years of age or older, or a veteran, defined as a citizen and resident honorably discharged from U.S. military service. Specifically, it elevates the degree of the crime for identity theft offenses involving senior citizens or veterans, meaning perpetrators face more severe punishments. For instance, a first offense of identity theft where the victim is a senior citizen or veteran, which would normally be a fourth-degree crime, will now be a third-degree crime, and subsequent offenses will be second-degree crimes. Similarly, if any victim in a larger identity theft scheme is a senior citizen or veteran, the penalties are increased, with the most severe offenses potentially becoming first-degree crimes. The bill also introduces higher penalties for distributing, manufacturing, or possessing identity theft materials if those materials were obtained from records belonging to continuing care retirement communities, nursing homes, retirement communities, or veterans' facilities, with these offenses also being elevated in severity.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S1888