Nebraska Statutes 28-639. Identity theft; penalty; restitution
(1) A person commits the crime of identity theft if he or she knowingly takes, purchases, manufactures, records, possesses, or uses any personal identifying information or entity identifying information of another person or entity without the consent of that other person or entity or creates personal identifying information for a fictional person or entity, with the intent to obtain or use the other person’s or entity’s identity for any unlawful purpose or to cause loss to a person or entity whether or not the person or entity actually suffers any economic loss as a result of the offense, or with the intent to obtain or continue employment or with the intent to gain a pecuniary benefit for himself, herself, or another.
Attorney's Note
Under the Nebraska Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class II felony | between 1 and 50 years | |
| Class IIA felony | up to 20 years | |
| Class III felony | up to 4 years | up to $25,000 |
| Class IV felony | up to 2 years | up to $10,000 |
| Class I misdemeanor | up to 1 year | up to $1,000 |
| Class II misdemeanor | up to 6 months | up to $1,000 |
Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 28-639
- Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
- Person: shall include bodies politic and corporate, societies, communities, the public generally, individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and associations. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
(2) Identity theft is not:
(a) The lawful obtaining of credit information in the course of a bona fide consumer or commercial transaction;
(b) The lawful, good faith exercise of a security interest or a right of setoff by a creditor or a financial institution;
(c) The lawful, good faith compliance by any person when required by any warrant, levy, garnishment, attachment, court order, or other judicial or administrative order, decree, or directive; or
(d) The investigative activities of law enforcement.
(3)(a) Identity theft is a Class IIA felony if the credit, money, goods, services, or other thing of value that was gained or was attempted to be gained was five thousand dollars or more. Any second or subsequent conviction under this subdivision is a Class II felony.
(b) Identity theft is a Class IV felony if the credit, money, goods, services, or other thing of value that was gained or was attempted to be gained was one thousand five hundred dollars or more but less than five thousand dollars. Any second or subsequent conviction under this subdivision is a Class III felony.
(c) Identity theft is a Class I misdemeanor if the credit, money, goods, services, or other thing of value that was gained or was attempted to be gained was five hundred dollars or more but less than one thousand five hundred dollars. Any second or subsequent conviction under this subdivision is a Class IV felony.
(d) Identity theft is a Class II misdemeanor if no credit, money, goods, services, or other thing of value was gained or was attempted to be gained, or if the credit, money, goods, services, or other thing of value that was gained or was attempted to be gained was less than five hundred dollars. Any second conviction under this subdivision is a Class I misdemeanor, and any third or subsequent conviction under this subdivision is a Class IV felony.
(e) A person found guilty of violating this section may, in addition to the penalties under this subsection, be ordered to make restitution pursuant to sections 29-2280 to 29-2289.