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BILL # SB 1295 |
TITLE: fraudulent voice recordings |
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SPONSOR: Kavanagh |
STATUS: As Amended by Senate JUDE |
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PREPARED BY: Geoffrey Paulsen |
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The bill would increase the criminal penalties associated with the use of computer-generated voice recordings, images, or video of another person for the purposes of fraud or harassment. The bill changes the classification of this crime from a class 6 felony to a class 5 felony.
Estimated Impact
The bill could increase the Arizona Department of Corrections' (ADC) operating costs due to longer sentences for offenders. Any impact would depend on the number of individuals charged under the revised sentencing requirements and the cumulative impact on the ADC inmate population. We expect the fiscal impact to be minimal given the comparatively narrow range of differences between class 5 felony and class 6 felony penalties.
Statute defines criminal impersonation as assuming a false identity or pretending to be a representative of another person or organization with the intent to defraud or to induce a person to allow access to property. Under current law, criminal impersonation is a class 6 felony, punishable by up to 3 years of probation or by a prison sentence of between 4 months and 2 years with a presumptive sentence of 1 year in prison. The bill would increase the penalty of criminal impersonation using computer-generated voice recordings, images, or video to a class 5 felony, which would be punishable by up to 3 years of probation or by a prison sentence of between 6 months and 2.5 years with a presumptive sentence of 1.5 years in prison.
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2/19/25