Purpose

To strengthen penalties for theft from a vulnerable adult by adding enhanced consequences when the act creates a risk of bodily harm or when the victim is a vulnerable adult the offender knew or should have known about.

Main Provisions

• The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 609.52, subdivision 3a, to add two ways penalties can be enhanced for theft from a vulnerable adult (the underlying offense is the act described in that section).

• Enhancement A — risk of bodily harm

  • If a violation creates a reasonably foreseeable risk of bodily harm to another person, the penalties under subdivision 3 are amplified:
  • If the underlying penalty is a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor: the offender becomes guilty of a felony, with imprisonment up to 3 years or a fine up to $5,000 or both; and if the underlying offense is a felony, the maximum sentence is 50% longer than the underlying crime.

• Enhancement B — victim is a vulnerable adult (and knowledge)

  • If the offender knew or had reason to know that the victim is a vulnerable adult (as defined in section 609.232 subdivision 11), the penalties under subdivision 3 are amplified as follows:
  • If the underlying penalty is a misdemeanor: the offender becomes guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
  • If the underlying penalty is a gross misdemeanor: the offender becomes guilty of a felony, with imprisonment up to 2 years or a fine up to $5,000 or both.
  • If the underlying penalty is a felony: the maximum sentence is increased by 25% over the underlying crime.

• Note: All enhancements apply to violations of the theft-from-a-vulnerable-adult provision (609.52, subd. 3a) and reference the existing penalties in subdivision 3.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Introduces two-tiered penalty enhancements for theft from a vulnerable adult: 1) A risk-of-harm enhancement that can convert misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor theft into a felony (and increases the felony cap by up to 50% if the underlying crime is felony). 2) A vulnerability-and-knowledge enhancement that escalates penalties when the victim is a vulnerable adult and the offender knew or should have known this, potentially moving misdemeanor theft to gross misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor to felony, or increasing the felony cap by 25%.

• Expands potential imprisonment terms and fines for these offenses, and ties the increases to whether the offender knew the victim’s vulnerable status and whether the act created a risk of bodily harm.

Definitions / References

• Vulnerable adult: as defined in Minnesota Statutes section 609.232, subdivision 11.
• Underlying offenses: the base penalties for theft from a vulnerable adult under 609.52, subdivision 3a.
• Terms to know: misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, felony, imprisonment, fine, statutory maximum, reasonably foreseeable risk, knowledge/reason to know.

Practical Impact

• The bill aims to deter theft from vulnerable adults by imposing harsher penalties, especially when the offender knew the person was vulnerable or when the theft creates a risk of harm.
• It creates clearer, higher-tier consequences that can apply even when the original theft would have had lower penalties.

Relevant Terms - theft from a vulnerable adult - enhanced penalties - risk of bodily harm - reasonably foreseeable risk - vulnerable adult - knowledge to know / reason to know - 609.52 subd. 3a - 609.232 subd. 11 - misdemeanor - gross misdemeanor - felony - imprisonment - fine - maximum sentence - underlying crime