SEC. 75-15-31. Penalties.

(1) If any person to whom or which this chapter applies or any agent, subagent or representative of such person violates any of the provisions of this chapter or attempts to transact the business of selling or issuing or delivering checks as a service or for a fee or other consideration, without having first obtained license from the commissioner pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, such person and each such agent, subagent or representative shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) and he may also be confined to the county jail or sentenced to hard labor for the county, for not more than twelve (12) months. Each violation shall constitute a separate offense.

(2) If any person engages in business as provided for in this chapter without paying the license fee provided for in this chapter before commencing business or before the expiration of the person's current license, as the case may be, then the person shall be liable for the full amount of the license fee plus a penalty in an amount not to exceed Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) for each day that the person has engaged in the business without a license or after the expiration of a license.

(3) The commissioner may, after notice and hearing, impose a civil penalty against any licensee if the licensee or employee is adjudged by the commissioner to be in violation of the provisions of this chapter. The civil penalty shall not exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) per violation and shall be deposited into the Consumer Finance Fund of the Department of Banking and Consumer Finance.

SOURCES: Codes, 1942, Sec. 5131-16; Laws, 1966, ch. 257, Sec. 16, eff from and after July 1, 1966. Amended by Laws 2000, Ch. 621, Sec. 11, HB723, eff. from and after passage (approved May 23, 2000).

PREVIOUS VERSIONS: Pre-2000