(a) Any person, partner, association, business corporation, banking institution, nonprofit corporation, common law trust, joint stock company or any other group of individuals, however organized, or any owner, partner, member, officer, director, trustee, employee, agent, broker or representative thereof who or which shall wilfully or intentionally engage in this state in business as installment seller or sales finance company as defined in this act without having obtained a license, as required under this act, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or to suffer imprisonment of not more than 3 years, or both, at the discretion of the court.
    (b) Any licensee conducting business under this act as an installment seller, sales finance company or any owner, partner, member, officer, director, trustee, employee, agent, broker or representative thereof who shall wilfully or intentionally violate any provision of this act, or shall direct or consent to such violation, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $500.00 for the first offense; and for each subsequent offense a like fine and/or suffer imprisonment not to exceed 1 year in the discretion of the court.

Attorney's Note

Under the Michigan Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Hup to 3 years
For details, see Mich. Comp. Laws ch. 777 pt. 2

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Terms Used In Michigan Laws 492.137

  • Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Licensee: means a person issued a license under this act as an installment seller or a sales finance company and whose license has not expired or been surrendered or revoked, and in the plural means a person or persons licensed under 1 or both of these 2 classifications. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, association, corporation, limited liability company, governmental entity, or any other legal entity. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • Sales finance company: means a person engaged as a principal, agent, or broker in the business of financing or soliciting the financing of installment sale contracts made between other parties, and in the business of acquiring, investing in, or lending money or credit on the security of the retail seller's interest in those contracts whether by discount, purchase, or assignment of those contracts, or otherwise. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • seller: means a person engaged in the business of selling, offering for sale, hiring, or leasing motor vehicles under installment sale contracts or a legal successor in interest to that person. See Michigan Laws 492.102
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.