Cal. Penal Code § 560

Any bailee, as defined in Section 7102 of the Uniform Commercial Code, who issues or aids in issuing a document of title, or any person who secures the issue by a bailee of a document of title, or any person who negotiates or transfers for value a document of title knowing that the goods for which that document is issued have not been actually received by that bailee or are not under his or her control at the time of issuing that receipt shall be guilty of a crime and upon conviction shall be punished for each offense by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 or by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or by both that fine and imprisonment.