As a self-employed contractor found out, bounced checks can result in serious criminal charges in the State of Florida. The contractor issued two checks for services rendered. Not realizing he had erred in balancing his account, the checks bounced. When the checks were returned for insufficient funds, he was unable to pay his debt. The worthless checks totaled $1400.
The party he had written the checks to sought legal action for recovery. Depending on the amount of the check written, a worthless check can be charged as a misdemeanor, or a felony. A worthless check written for an amount over $150 is a felony, punishable by up to five years in state prison under Florida Statute 832.05(2). The maker of the worthless check may be additionally liable for court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Improper debit card use is considered the same as writing a bad check under Florida Law.
Attorneys at Musca Law have successfully defended worthless check cases brought by the government. Our highly skilled Tampa criminal defense attorneys will fight to clear your good name.
The State filed formal charges for 2 counts of Worthless Check against the contractor. Musca Law attorneys used diligent efforts to resolve this matter for our client. At a pre-trial hearing we presented the State Attorney a copy of two cashier checks payable to the original party. After seeing the two cashier checks, the State Attorney dropped the two criminal charges against our client and dismissed the case.
