(a) It is an offense for a person who is applying for or the recipient of dwelling accommodations in any housing project operated by a housing authority as defined in § 13-20-102 to obtain or attempt to obtain the dwelling accommodations by means of a statement, representation or impersonation the person knows to be false, or by knowingly concealing any material fact if the false statement, representation, impersonation or concealment results in:

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class A misdemeanorup to 11 monthsup to $2,500
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 39-14-153

  • Benefit: means anything reasonably regarded as economic gain, enhancement or advantage, including benefit to any other person in whose welfare the beneficiary is interested. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Obtain: includes , but is not limited to, the taking, carrying away or the sale, conveyance or transfer of title to or interest in or possession of property, and includes, but is not limited to, conduct known as larceny, larceny by trick, larceny by conversion, embezzlement, extortion or obtaining property by false pretenses. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
  • Person: includes the singular and the plural and means and includes any individual, firm, partnership, copartnership, association, corporation, governmental subdivision or agency, or other organization or other legal entity, or any agent or servant thereof. See Tennessee Code 39-11-106
(1) The person meeting the housing authority’s income qualification standards established pursuant to § 13-20-113; or
(2) The person’s lease or rental payment being less than the person would otherwise be required to pay under the housing authority’s income qualification standards established pursuant to § 13-20-113.
(b) It is a violation of this section if a person obtains or attempts to obtain dwelling accommodations specified in subsection (a) by means of a statement, representation or impersonation made by another, or by another concealing any material fact, if the person knows the statement, representation or impersonation to be false or the person knows that a material fact has been concealed.
(c) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by fine only. The amount of the fine imposed shall be graded as provided in § 39-14-105. In grading the offense, the value of the benefit the defendant derived from the prohibited conduct shall be used to determine the grade of fine.
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