Criminal Impersonation is charged in Fort Collins and Larimer County when a person takes on a fake identity to unlawfully gain a benefit. A woman is facing these charges after enrolling herself for high school and attending under a false name. According to the article, the 32-year-old woman enrolled as a 15-year-old homeless girl who rode the bus to and from school. School officials became suspicious and alerted law enforcement. Upon investigation, the woman’s age was discovered and the fact that she already had a high school diploma. It’s unknown what her motives were for enrolling, but she is facing multiple criminal charges for the situation.
Larimer County Criminal Impersonation Lawyer: Definition of Criminal Impersonation in Boulder
The Larimer and Boulder County, Colorado law definition of Criminal Impersonation – C.R.S. 18-5-113 – is:
(a) Assumes a false or fictitious identity or legal capacity, and in such identity or capacity he or she:
(I) Marries, or pretends to marry, or to sustain the marriage relation toward another without the connivance of the latter;
(II) Becomes bail or surety for a party in an action or proceeding, civil or criminal, before a court or officer authorized to take the bail or surety; or
(III) Confesses a judgment, or subscribes, verifies, publishes, acknowledges, or proves a written instrument which by law may be recorded, with the intent that the same may be delivered as true; or
(b) Assumes a false or fictitious identity or capacity, legal or other, and in such identity or capacity he or she:
(I) Performs an act that, if done by the person falsely impersonated, might subject such person to an action or special proceeding, civil or criminal, or to liability, charge, forfeiture, or penalty; or
(II) Performs any other act with intent to unlawfully gain a benefit for himself, herself, or another or to injure or defraud another.
The woman would likely be charged under subsection (b)(II) because she provided a fake name and birth date to gain a benefit or defraud others. It may be that she wanted the free lunch because she enrolled homeless and likely qualified for the program. Whatever the reason, it ended with a class 6 felony charge. More and more often, we are seeing this felony charge instead of the misdemeanor False Reporting for giving a false name.
If you or someone you love has been charged with Criminal Impersonation, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the best criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-658-0007. Together, we can protect your future.
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