Senate Bill sb2008

    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2008

    By Senator Crist





    12-1386A-03                                         See HB 369

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to stolen property; amending s.

  3         812.022, F.S.; providing that proof of

  4         possession of certain misappropriated property

  5         gives rise to an inference that the person

  6         buying or selling the property knew or should

  7         have known that it had been stolen; providing a

  8         defense to such an inference; providing an

  9         effective date.

10  

11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

12  

13         Section 1.  Subsection (5) is added to section 812.022,

14  Florida Statutes, to read:

15         812.022  Evidence of theft or dealing in stolen

16  property.--

17         (5)  Proof of possession of misappropriated property

18  that contains identifying or ownership information, whether or

19  not attempts have been made to alter or conceal the

20  identifying or ownership information, gives rise to the

21  inference that the person buying or selling the property knew

22  or should have known that the property had been stolen. A

23  purchaser of property may avoid this inference by contacting

24  the identified owner, if the identifying or ownership

25  information is decipherable, to confirm that the property has

26  not been misappropriated, or, if the identifying or ownership

27  information is not decipherable, by contacting local law

28  enforcement to inquire as to whether the property may have

29  been misappropriated.

30         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

31  law.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.