The crime of Mississippi computer fraud is found in 97-45-3 of the Miss. Code. It states: 
Computer fraud is the accessing or causing to be accessed of any computer, computer system, computer network or any part thereof with the intent to:
(a) Defraud;
(b) Obtain money, property or services by means of false or fraudulent conduct, practices or representations; or through the false or fraudulent alteration, deletion or insertion of programs or data; or
(c) Insert or attach or knowingly create the opportunity for an unknowing and unwanted insertion or attachment of a set of instructions or a computer program into a computer program, computer, computer system, or computer network, that is intended to acquire, alter, damage, delete, disrupt, or destroy property or otherwise use the services of a computer program, computer, computer system or computer network.
The penalties depend on the amount of money at issue. For less than $500 the punishment is a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. This amount is essentially treated as a misdemeanor. For greater than $500 the punishment is a fine up to $10,000 and five years in jail. This type of computer fraud is a felony. Whichever the charge, keeping it off your record is important because a conviction can have long-lasting, damaging consequences. Whether you think you’re innocent or guilty, you need to consider all options for avoiding a permanent conviction.
Defending against a Mississippi computer fraud charge is critical. The most important question is: Can the government prove you had the necessary intent to defraud or take money? Computer crimes are different than personal crimes in that the evidence is largely through electronic records. There are no eyewitnesses. It is crucial, then, that you acquire and analyze those records thoroughly. They could be the key to your freedom.
Patrick Stegall is a Mississippi computer fraud and economic crimes lawyer. If you’ve been charged with this crime you should immediately begin building a defense while exploring options for keeping it off your record. Mr Stegall can help. For more information please contact him at (901) 205-9894 or pstegall@stegall-law.com.
