Florida Criminal Defense Lawyers
Contact a Florida criminal defense attorney at our firm today if you or a loved one has been accused of a criminal offense involving a bad check.
Florida has specific laws in place to prevent and prosecute the writing or issuing of bad checks. Also often referred to as worthless checks, bad checks are those for which the issuer knows there are not funds to cover payment but issues them anyway. Any offense involving a bad check has the potential to be serious, particularly when the intended victim of the offense is the IRS, Department of Revenue or any other governmental agency. It is also illegal to stop payment on a check with the intent to defraud the person or entity to which it was issued.
Penalties for Bad Check Offenses
The penalties that a defendant in Florida may face for a bad check offense will vary depending upon the value of the check as well as the intended or actual victim. For an offense involving stopping payment on a check, the penalties may range from 60 days in jail to up to 5 years in prison. If the value of the check is less than $150 the defendant will face the lesser penalty; if the check is valued at more than $150 he or she may face the longer term of imprisonment.
A person who has been issued a bad check has the right to take legal action to collect the value of the check. If the person who issued the check does not respond and pay the full amount within a set period of time, criminal charges may be filed against him or her. The issuer of the bad check may face criminal charges and civil charges and therefore penalties for both.
Contact a criminal defense lawyer at our firm today for a free consultation regarding your bad check offense.
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