Tennessee Fraud Laws
Fraud is a broad term that can refer to misrepresenting yourself or a situation in order to make an unlawful gain. Because general fraud doesn’t have its own law in the Tennessee books, it is considered a form of theft.
Under Tennessee criminal law, theft is defined as unlawful taking of goods or services through deception, fraud, or false pretenses.
Worthless checks, forgery and fraud are charged just like any other theft offense and depend on the value loss involved:
If the value is: Then the charge and sentence is:
$500 or less Class A misdemeanor (Up to one year in jail and $2,500 in fines)
$500-$1,000 Class E felony (1-6 years in prison and up to $3,000 in fines)
$1,000-$10,000 Class D felony (2-12 years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines)
$10,000-$60,000 Class C felony (3-15 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines)
More than $60,000 Class B felony (8-30 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines)
Fraud is a broad term that can refer to misrepresenting yourself or a situation in order to make an unlawful gain. Because general fraud doesn’t have its own law in the Tennessee books, it is considered a form of theft.
Under Tennessee criminal law, theft is defined as unlawful taking of goods or services through deception, fraud, or false pretenses.
Worthless checks, forgery and fraud are charged just like any other theft offense and depend on the value loss involved:
If the value is: Then the charge and sentence is:
$500 or less Class A misdemeanor (Up to one year in jail and $2,500 in fines)
$500-$1,000 Class E felony (1-6 years in prison and up to $3,000 in fines)
$1,000-$10,000 Class D felony (2-12 years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines)
$10,000-$60,000 Class C felony (3-15 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines)
More than $60,000 Class B felony (8-30 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines)