Virginia Code 3.2-4737: Offenses and punishment
Any person who commits any of the following acts is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor:
Attorney's Note
Under the Virginia Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 misdemeanor | up to 12 months | up to $2,500 |
Terms Used In Virginia Code 3.2-4737
- Commission merchant: means any person, who: (i) operates an auction market; (ii) receives farm products for sale on commission or contracts with the producer for farm products sold on commission or for a fee; (iii) accepts in trust from the producer for the purpose of sale; (iv) sells or offers for sale on commission; (v) solicits consignments of any kind of farm products; or (vi) handles the account of or as an agent of the producer any kind of farm products. See Virginia Code 3.2-4709
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. See Virginia Code 3.2-100
- farm: means any person that obtains at least 51 percent of its annual gross income from agricultural operations and produces the agricultural waste used as feedstock for the waste-to-energy technology, (ii) "agricultural waste" means biomass waste materials capable of decomposition that are produced from the raising of plants and animals during agricultural operations, including animal manures, bedding, plant stalks, hulls, and vegetable matter, and (iii) "waste-to-energy technology" means any technology, including but not limited to a methane digester, that converts agricultural waste into gas, steam, or heat that is used to generate electricity on-site. See Virginia Code 1-222.1
- farm products: means horticultural, viticulture, forestry, dairy, livestock, poultry, bee, and other products ordinarily produced on farms. See Virginia Code 3.2-4709
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
- Licensee: means any person who has been granted a license to operate, conduct, or carry on the business of a commission merchant. See Virginia Code 3.2-4709
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
1. Imposes false charges for handling or for services in connection with farm products;
2. Fails to account promptly, correctly, fully and properly and to make settlement as provided in this article;
3. Makes false and misleading statements as to market conditions with the intent to deceive;
4. Makes fictitious sales or collusion to defraud the consignor, or enters into any combination to fix prices;
5. Directly or indirectly purchases for his or its own account, farm products, received by him or it on consignment without prior authority from the consignor in writing. This subsection shall not apply to the operators of livestock auction markets who are prohibited from purchasing consigned livestock under the federal Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 (42 Stat. 159), as amended;
6. Intentionally makes false statements as to grade, condition, markings, quality, or quantity of farm products shipped or packed;
7. Reconsigns farm products as have been consigned to him to another person, unless consent of the consignor has been first obtained in writing, or notice given in writing to the consignor by the licensee that all or a part of such shipment was reconsigned;
8. Sells farm products consigned to him to another person owned or controlled by him, or in which the licensee may have a financial or other interest, either directly or indirectly, unless notice is given, in writing, to the consignor by the commission merchant that all or a part of such shipment was sold to a person in which the licensee has a financial or other interest;
9. Fraudulently or deceptively obtains a license;
10. Fails or neglects to give written notice immediately to the Commissioner and the surety on the bond of the commission merchant, of any changes or alterations in the style, name or personnel of the person to whom such license has been issued; or
11. Fails to comply with the provisions of this article.
Code 1950, § 3-560; 1966, c. 702, § 3.1-718; 1979, c. 389; 2008, c. 860.