Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle

It is a violation of the law for a person not entitled to the possession of a vehicle, or essential part of a vehicle, to receive, possess, conceal, sell, dispose, or transfer it, knowing it to have been stolen or converted, or to knowingly remove, alter, deface, destroy, falsify, or forge a manufacturer’s identification number of a vehicle or an engine number of a motor vehicle or any essential part thereof having an identification number, or to knowingly conceal or misrepresent the identity of a vehicle or any essential part thereof, or to buy, receive, possess, sell or dispose of a vehicle, or any essential part thereof, with knowledge that the identification number of the vehicle or any essential part thereof having an identification number has been removed or falsified, or to knowingly possess, buy, sell, exchange, give away, or offer to buy, sell, exchange or give away, any manufacturer’s identification number plate, mylar sticker, federal certificate label, State police reassignment plate, Secretary of State assigned plate, rosette rivet, or facsimile of such which has not yet been attached to or has been removed from the original or assigned vehicle.

It is also a violation for a person to knowingly make a false report of the theft or conversion of a vehicle to any employee of a law enforcement agency designated to take, receive, process, or record reports of vehicle theft or conversion.

A person convicted of this violation is guilty of a Class 2 Felony punishable by 3 to 7 years in the state penitentiary.