Ohio Code 2981.07 – Interference with or diminishing forfeitable property
(A) No person shall destroy, damage, remove, or transfer property that is subject to forfeiture or otherwise take any action in regard to property that is subject to forfeiture with purpose to do any of the following:
Attorney's Note
Under the Ohio Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Felony of the third degree | 9 months to 5 years | up to $10,000 |
| Felony of the fourth degree | 6 to 18 months | up to $5,000 |
| Felony of the fifth degree | 6 to 12 months | up to $2,500 |
| Misdemeanor of the first degree | up to 180 days | up to $1,000 |
Terms Used In Ohio Code 2981.07
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Property: means "property" as defined in section 2901. See Ohio Code 2981.01
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Whoever: includes all persons, natural and artificial; partners; principals, agents, and employees; and all officials, public or private. See Ohio Code 1.02
(1) Prevent or impair the state‘s or political subdivision’s lawful authority to take the property into its custody or control under this chapter or to continue holding the property under its lawful custody or control;
(2) Impair or defeat the court’s continuing jurisdiction over the person and property;
(3) Devalue property that the person knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is subject to forfeiture proceedings under this chapter.
(B)(1) Whoever violates this section is guilty of interference with or diminishing forfeitable property.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (B)(3), (4), and (5) of this section, interference with or diminishing forfeitable property is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(3) If the value of the property is one thousand dollars or more but less than seven thousand five hundred dollars, interference with or diminishing forfeitable property is a felony of the fifth degree.
(4) If the value of the property is seven thousand five hundred dollars or more but less than one hundred fifty thousand dollars, interference with or diminishing forfeitable property is a felony of the fourth degree.
(5) If the value of the property is one hundred fifty thousand dollars or more, interference with or diminishing forfeitable property is a felony of the third degree.