Florida criminal charge
Criminal use of personal identification information in Florida
Criminal use of personal identification information is a criminal offense under Florida law, defined by Fla. Stat. § 817.568. Its classification is not fixed: Florida assigns a different penalty class depending on the circumstances of the offense. The class that applies — and the sentencing range that follows from it — depends on which statutory variant fits the facts.
Defined by Fla. Stat. § 817.568.
How is criminal use of personal identification information classified in Florida?
The classification depends on the circumstances:
| Variant | Classification | When it applies | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraudulent use of personal identification information (base offense) | Felony of the Third Degree | A person willfully and without authorization fraudulently uses, or possesses with intent to fraudulently use, another person's personal identification information without consent. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(2)(a) |
| Fraudulent use — $5,000+ or 10-19 victims | Felony of the Second Degree | The fraudulent use without consent involves a pecuniary benefit/loss of $5,000 or more, or 10 to 19 persons' information used without consent. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(2)(b) |
| Fraudulent use — $50,000+ or 20-29 victims | Felony of the First Degree | The fraudulent use without consent involves a pecuniary benefit/loss of $50,000 or more, or 20 to 29 persons' information used without consent (with escalating mandatory minimums at $100,000 or 30+ persons). | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(2)(c) |
| Harassment by use of personal identification information | Misdemeanor of the First Degree | A person willfully and without authorization possesses, uses, or attempts to use another's personal identification information without consent for the purpose of harassing that person. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(4) |
| Reclassification — misdemeanor to felony via public record use | Felony of the Third Degree | An offense under this section that is a misdemeanor of the first degree is reclassified upward when facilitated by use of a public record. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(5)(a) |
| Reclassification — third degree felony to second via public record use | Felony of the Second Degree | An offense under this section that is a felony of the third degree is reclassified upward when facilitated by use of a public record. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(5)(b) |
| Reclassification — second degree felony to first via public record use | Felony of the First Degree | An offense under this section that is a felony of the second degree is reclassified upward when facilitated by use of a public record. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(5)(c) |
| Fraudulent use against minor or elderly person | Felony of the Second Degree | A person willfully and without authorization fraudulently uses personal identification information of an individual under 18 or 60 or older without consent of that individual or guardian. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(6) |
| Fraudulent use by parent/guardian/custodian of minor or elderly person | Felony of the Second Degree | A parent, legal guardian, or custodian willfully and fraudulently uses personal identification information of a person under 18 or 60 or older in their custody. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(7) |
| Fraudulent use of deceased individual/dissolved entity information (base) | Felony of the Third Degree | A person willfully and fraudulently uses, or possesses with intent to use, personal identification information of a deceased individual or dissolved business entity. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(8)(a) |
| Fraudulent use of deceased/dissolved entity info — $5,000+ or 10-19 victims | Felony of the Second Degree | The fraudulent use of a deceased individual's or dissolved entity's information involves a pecuniary benefit/loss of $5,000 or more, or 10 to 19 such victims. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(8)(b) |
| Aggravated fraudulent use of deceased/dissolved entity info — $50,000+ or 20-29 victims | Felony of the First Degree | The fraudulent use of deceased individuals' or dissolved entities' information involves a pecuniary benefit/loss of $50,000 or more, or 20 to 29 such victims (with escalating mandatory minimums at $100,000 or 30+ victims). | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(8)(c) |
| Fraudulent creation or use of counterfeit/fictitious personal identification information | Felony of the Third Degree | A person willfully and fraudulently creates, uses, or possesses with intent to use counterfeit or fictitious personal identification information to commit or facilitate fraud. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(9) |
| Fraudulent use against protected class of victims (elderly, disabled, public servant, veteran, first responder, government employee) | Felony of the Second Degree | A person willfully and without authorization fraudulently uses personal identification information of a person 60 or older, a disabled adult, a public servant, veteran, first responder, or state/federal employee without consent. | Fla. Stat. § 817.568(11) |
Common questions about criminal use of personal identification information in Florida
Is criminal use of personal identification information a felony or a misdemeanor in Florida?
It depends on the circumstances: criminal use of personal identification information ranges from a Misdemeanor of the First Degree to a Felony of the First Degree in Florida under Fla. Stat. § 817.568.
Fraudulent use of personal identification information (base offense): Felony of the Third Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(2)(a)) · Fraudulent use — $5,000+ or 10-19 victims: Felony of the Second Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(2)(b)) · Fraudulent use — $50,000+ or 20-29 victims: Felony of the First Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(2)(c)) · Harassment by use of personal identification information: Misdemeanor of the First Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(4)) · Reclassification — misdemeanor to felony via public record use: Felony of the Third Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(5)(a)) · Reclassification — third degree felony to second via public record use: Felony of the Second Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(5)(b)) · Reclassification — second degree felony to first via public record use: Felony of the First Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(5)(c)) · Fraudulent use against minor or elderly person: Felony of the Second Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(6)) · Fraudulent use by parent/guardian/custodian of minor or elderly person: Felony of the Second Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(7)) · Fraudulent use of deceased individual/dissolved entity information (base): Felony of the Third Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(8)(a)) · Fraudulent use of deceased/dissolved entity info — $5,000+ or 10-19 victims: Felony of the Second Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(8)(b)) · Aggravated fraudulent use of deceased/dissolved entity info — $50,000+ or 20-29 victims: Felony of the First Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(8)(c)) · Fraudulent creation or use of counterfeit/fictitious personal identification information: Felony of the Third Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(9)) · Fraudulent use against protected class of victims (elderly, disabled, public servant, veteran, first responder, government employee): Felony of the Second Degree (Fla. Stat. § 817.568(11))
Which Florida statute covers criminal use of personal identification information?
Criminal use of personal identification information is governed by Fla. Stat. § 817.568 (Criminal use of personal identification information).
Legal terms used in this law
This reference is informational and is not legal advice. Penalty ranges are the statutory classification ranges; sentencing in a specific case depends on its facts and history.