SECTIONS 10801-10804 - California Statutes

VEHICLE CODE

SECTION 10801-10804

10801. Any person who knowingly and intentionally owns or operates
a chop shop is guilty of a public offense and, upon conviction, shall
be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or
four years, or by a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars
($50,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, or by up to one year
in the county jail, or by a fine of not more than one thousand
dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.

10802. Any person who knowingly alters, counterfeits, defaces,
destroys, disguises, falsifies, forges, obliterates, or removes
vehicle identification numbers, with the intent to misrepresent the
identity or prevent the identification of motor vehicles or motor
vehicle parts, for the purpose of sale, transfer, import, or export,
is guilty of a public offense and, upon conviction, shall be punished
by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three
years, or by a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars
($25,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, or by up to one year
in the county jail, or by a fine of not more than one thousand
dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.

10803. (a) Any person who buys with the intent to resell, disposes
of, sells, or transfers, more than one motor vehicle or parts from
more than one motor vehicle, with the knowledge that the vehicle
identification numbers of the motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts
have been altered, counterfeited, defaced, destroyed, disguised,
falsified, forged, obliterated, or removed for the purpose of
misrepresenting the identity or preventing the identification of the
motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts, is guilty of a public offense
and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state
prison for two, four, or six years, or by a fine of not more than
sixty thousand dollars ($60,000), or by both the fine and
imprisonment, or by up to one year in the county jail, or by a fine
of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine
and imprisonment.
(b) Any person who possesses, for the purpose of sale, transfer,
import, or export, more than one motor vehicle or parts from more
than one motor vehicle, with the knowledge that the vehicle
identification numbers of the motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts
have been altered, counterfeited, defaced, destroyed, disguised,
falsified, forged, obliterated, or removed for the purpose of
misrepresenting the identity or preventing the identification of the
motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts, is guilty of a public offense
and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state
prison for 16 months, or two or three years, or by a fine of not more
than thirty thousand dollars ($30,000), or by both the fine and
imprisonment, or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one
year or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or
by both the fine and imprisonment.

10804. (a) Section 10803 does not apply to a motor vehicle scrap
processor who, in the normal legal course of business and in good
faith, processes a motor vehicle or motor vehicle part by crushing,
compacting, or other similar methods, if any vehicle identification
number is not removed from the motor vehicle or motor vehicle part
prior to or during the processing.
(b) Section 10803 does not apply to any owner or authorized
possessor of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle part which has been
recovered by law enforcement authorities after having been stolen or
if the condition of the vehicle identification number of the motor
vehicle or motor vehicle part is known to, or has been reported to,
law enforcement authorities. Law enforcement authorities are presumed
to have knowledge of all vehicle identification numbers on a motor
vehicle or motor vehicle part which are altered, counterfeited,
defaced, disguised, falsified, forged, obliterated, or removed, when
law enforcement authorities deliver or return the motor vehicle or
motor vehicle part to its owner or an authorized possessor after it
has been recovered by law enforcement authorities after having been
reported stolen.