Texas Penal Code 37.13 – Record of a Fraudulent Court
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(a) A person commits an offense if the person makes, presents, or uses any document or other record with:
(1) knowledge that the document or other record is not a record of a court created under or established by the constitution or laws of this state or of the United States; and
(2) the intent that the document or other record be given the same legal effect as a record of a court created under or established by the constitution or laws of this state or of the United States.
(b) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor, except that the offense is a felony of the third degree if it is shown on the trial of the offense that the defendant has previously been convicted under this section on two or more occasions.
Terms Used In Texas Penal Code 37.13
- Actor: means a person whose criminal responsibility is in issue in a criminal action. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Conduct: means an act or omission and its accompanying mental state. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Felony: means an offense so designated by law or punishable by death or confinement in a penitentiary. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Misdemeanor: means an offense so designated by law or punishable by fine, by confinement in jail, or by both fine and confinement in jail. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Person: means an individual or a corporation, association, limited liability company, or other entity or organization governed by the Business Organizations Code. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
- United States: includes a department, bureau, or other agency of the United States of America. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) If conduct that constitutes an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under § 32.48 or 37.10, the actor may be prosecuted under any of those sections.