HB 0369 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to stolen property; amending s. 812.022,
3	F.S.; providing that proof of possession of certain
4	misappropriated property gives rise to an inference that
5	the person buying or selling the property knew or should
6	have known that it had been stolen; providing a defense to
7	such an inference; providing an effective date.
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9	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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11	Section 1. Subsection (5) is added to section 812.022,
12	Florida Statutes, to read:
13	812.022 Evidence of theft or dealing in stolen property.--
14	(5) Proof of possession of misappropriated property that
15	contains identifying or ownership information, whether or not
16	attempts have been made to alter or conceal the identifying or
17	ownership information, gives rise to the inference that the
18	person buying or selling the property knew or should have known
19	that the property had been stolen. A purchaser of property may
20	avoid this inference by contacting the identified owner, if the
21	identifying or ownership information is decipherable, to confirm
22	that the property has not been misappropriated, or, if the
23	identifying or ownership information is not decipherable, by
24	contacting local law enforcement to inquire as to whether the
25	property may have been misappropriated.
26	Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
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