11/8/05-Acting Gov. Richard Codey has signed a bill into law expanding the state’s identity theft laws to include the selling, manufacturing possession or exhibiting of false birth certificates.
The new law, previously A2768, makes it a second-degree crime to sell, offer to sell, or possess with the intent of selling a forged birth certificate.
Convictions will be punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $150,000 in fines.
The statute for forging a birth certificate would be consistent with punishment for manufacturing a false driver's license or other government documents.
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2006.