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RCW 74.08.331

Unlawful practices—Obtaining assistance—Disposal of realty—Penalties.

Applied in 45 court decisions — leading case 87 Wash. 2d 374 - State v. Arndt (1976)

Most recently applied in State v. Reeder (June 2014)

2011 c 96 s 53; 2003 c 53 s 368; 1998 c 79 s 16; 1997 c 58 s 303; 1992 c 7 s 59; 1979 c 141 s 329; 1965 ex.s. c 34 s 1.

How often courts cite this section

19711980199020002010201470
citing decisions per year

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.

(1) Any person who by means of a willfully false statement, or representation, or impersonation, or a willful failure to reveal any material fact, condition, or circumstance affecting eligibility or need for assistance, including medical care, surplus commodities, and food stamps or food stamp benefits transferred electronically, as required by law, or a willful failure to promptly notify the county office in writing as required by law or any change in status in respect to resources, or income, or need, or family composition, money contribution and other support, from whatever source derived, including unemployment insurance, or any other change in circumstances affecting the person's eligibility or need for assistance, or other fraudulent device, obtains, or attempts to obtain, or aids or abets any person to obtain any public assistance to which the person is not entitled or greater public assistance than that to which he or she is justly entitled is guilty of theft in the first degree under RCW 9A.56.030 and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in a state correctional facility for not more than fifteen years.

(2) Any person who by means of a willfully false statement or representation or by impersonation or other fraudulent device aids or abets in buying, selling, or in any other way disposing of the real property of a recipient of public assistance without the consent of the secretary is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment for up to three hundred sixty-four days in the county jail or a fine of not to exceed one thousand dollars or by both.

Official source: Washington State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Washington statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.