Whenever, by any of the provisions of this Code, an intent to defraud is required in order to constitute any offense, it is sufficient if an intent appears to defraud any person, association, or body politic or corporate, whatever.
Cal. Penal Code § 8
THE ACT
Known as the The Penal Code
The act spans §§ 1–24 (34 sections).
Applied in 5 court decisions — leading case In Re James (1952)
Most recently applied in Sharp v. County of Orange (September 2017)
Enacted 1872.
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: California Legislative Information. Reproduced from public-domain California statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.