S-1448.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5939

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senators Roach, Rasmussen, Costa, Shin, Kastama, Jacobsen, Patterson and Regala

Read first time 02/08/2001.  Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Making it a crime to impersonate a veteran of the armed forces.

    AN ACT Relating to criminal impersonation of a veteran of the armed forces; amending RCW 9A.60.040; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 9A.60.040 and 1993 c 457 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) A person is guilty of criminal impersonation in the first degree if the person:

    (a) Assumes a false identity and does an act in his or her assumed character with intent to defraud another or for any other unlawful purpose; ((or))

    (b) Pretends to be a representative of some person or organization or a public servant and does an act in his or her pretended capacity with intent to defraud another or for any other unlawful purpose; or

(c) Falsely assumes the identity of an active or retired veteran of the armed forces of the United States for the purpose of personal gain or to facilitate any unlawful activity.

    (2) Criminal impersonation in the first degree is a gross misdemeanor.

    (3) A person is guilty of criminal impersonation in the second degree if the person:

    (a) Claims to be a law enforcement officer or creates an impression that he or she is a law enforcement officer; and

    (b) Under circumstances not amounting to criminal impersonation in the first degree, does an act with intent to convey the impression that he or she is acting in an official capacity and a reasonable person would believe the person is a law enforcement officer.

    (4) Criminal impersonation in the second degree is a misdemeanor.

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