Bill Text: VA HB471 | 2014 | Regular Session | Prefiled

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Bill Title: Mentally incapacitated persons; penalty for financial exploitation.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-12 - Left in Courts of Justice [HB471 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2014-HB471-Prefiled.html

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14102353D
HOUSE BILL NO. 471 Offered January 8, 2014 Prefiled January 6, 2014 A BILL to amend and reenact §18.2-178.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to financial exploitation of mentally incapacitated persons. ---------- Patron-- Yost ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §18.2-178.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§18.2-178.1. Financial exploitation of mentally incapacitated persons; penalty.

A. It is unlawful for any person who knows or should know that another person suffers from mental incapacity to, through the use of that other person's mental incapacity, take, obtain, or convert money or other thing of value belonging to that other person with the intent to permanently deprive him thereof. Any person who violates this section shall be deemed is guilty of larceny a Class 3 felony.

B. Venue for the trial of an accused charged with a violation of this section shall be in any county or city in which (i) any act was performed in furtherance of the offense or (ii) the accused resided at the time of the offense.

C. This section shall not apply to a transaction or disposition of money or other thing of value in which the accused acted for the benefit of the person with mental incapacity or made a good faith effort to assist such person with the management of his money or other thing of value.

D. As used in this section, "mental incapacity" means that condition of a person existing at the time of the offense described in subsection A that prevents him from understanding the nature or consequences of the transaction or disposition of money or other thing of value involved in such offense.

2. That the provisions of this act may result in a net increase in periods of imprisonment or commitment. Pursuant to §30-19.1:4, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of imprisonment in state adult correctional facilities; therefore, Chapter 806 of the Acts of Assembly of 2013 requires the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to assign a minimum fiscal impact of $50,000. Pursuant to §30-19.1:4, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of commitment to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.