{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-188.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-188.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-188.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-188.html"}],"law_id":64840,"edition_id":1,"section_id":64840,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-188","catch_line":"Defrauding hotels, motels, campgrounds, boardinghouses, etc","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-120; 1960, c. 358; 1974, c. 615; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1977, c. 178; 1981, c. 197; 1993, c. 575; 2018, cc. 764, 765; 2020, cc. 89, 401.","full_text":"It shall be unlawful for any person, without paying therefor, and with the intent to cheat or defraud the owner or keeper to:\n\n1\n\nPut up at a hotel, motel, campground or boardinghouse;2\n\nObtain food from a restaurant or other eating house;3\n\nGain entrance to an amusement park; or4\n\nWithout having an express agreement for credit, procure food, entertainment or accommodation from any hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant, eating house or amusement park.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to cheat or defraud the owner or keeper out of the pay therefor to obtain credit at a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant or eating house for food, entertainment or accommodation by means of any false show of baggage or effects brought thereto.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to cheat or defraud, to obtain credit at a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant, eating house or amusement park for food, entertainment or accommodation through any misrepresentation or false statement.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to cheat or defraud, to remove or cause to be removed any baggage or effects from a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant or eating house while there is a lien existing thereon for the proper charges due from him for fare and board furnished.\n\t\t\tAny person who violates any provision of this section is, if the value of service, credit or benefit procured or obtained is $1,000 or more, guilty of a Class 5 felony or is, if the value is less than $1,000, guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":235956,"text":"It shall be unlawful for any person, without paying therefor, and with the intent to cheat or defraud the owner or keeper to:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":"1"},"1":{"id":235957,"text":"Put up at a hotel, motel, campground or boardinghouse;","type":"section","prefixes":["1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"1","prefix_anchor":"1","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":"2"},"2":{"id":235958,"text":"Obtain food from a restaurant or other eating house;","type":"section","prefixes":["2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"2","prefix_anchor":"2","level":1,"prior_prefix":"1","next_prefix":"3"},"3":{"id":235959,"text":"Gain entrance to an amusement park; or","type":"section","prefixes":["3"],"prefix":"3","entire_prefix":"3","prefix_anchor":"3","level":1,"prior_prefix":"2","next_prefix":"4"},"4":{"id":235960,"text":"Without having an express agreement for credit, procure food, entertainment or accommodation from any hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant, eating house or amusement park.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to cheat or defraud the owner or keeper out of the pay therefor to obtain credit at a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant or eating house for food, entertainment or accommodation by means of any false show of baggage or effects brought thereto.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to cheat or defraud, to obtain credit at a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant, eating house or amusement park for food, entertainment or accommodation through any misrepresentation or false statement.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to cheat or defraud, to remove or cause to be removed any baggage or effects from a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant or eating house while there is a lien existing thereon for the proper charges due from him for fare and board furnished.\n\t\t\tAny person who violates any provision of this section is, if the value of service, credit or benefit procured or obtained is $1,000 or more, guilty of a Class 5 felony or is, if the value is less than $1,000, guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.","type":"section","prefixes":["4"],"prefix":"4","entire_prefix":"4","prefix_anchor":"4","level":1,"prior_prefix":"3"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14590,"edition_id":1,"name":"False Representations to Obtain Property or Credit","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13358,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:48:47","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:48:47","permalink":{"id":166089,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14590,"identifier":"5","token":"18.2\/6\/5","url":"\/18.2\/6\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13358,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Involving Fraud","identifier":"6","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:42","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:42","permalink":{"id":165933,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13358,"identifier":"6","token":"18.2\/6","url":"\/18.2\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12972,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":164139,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12972,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":70856,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-186","catch_line":"False statements to obtain property or credit","url":"\/18.2-186\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-186","metadata":false},{"id":70659,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-186.1","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/18.2-186.1\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-186.1","metadata":false},{"id":75819,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-186.2","catch_line":"False statements or failure to disclose material facts in order to obtain aid or benefits under any local, state or federal housing assistance program","url":"\/18.2-186.2\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-186.2","metadata":false},{"id":73403,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-186.3","catch_line":"Identity theft; penalty; restitution; victim assistance","url":"\/18.2-186.3\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-186.3","metadata":false},{"id":68386,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-186.3:1","catch_line":"Identity fraud; consumer reporting agencies; police reports","url":"\/18.2-186.3_1\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-186.3_1","metadata":false},{"id":86000,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-186.4","catch_line":"Use of a person's identity with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass; penalty","url":"\/18.2-186.4\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-186.4","metadata":false},{"id":74122,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-186.4:1","catch_line":"Internet publication of personal information of certain public officials","url":"\/18.2-186.4_1\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-186.4_1","metadata":false},{"id":63464,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-186.5","catch_line":"Expungement of false identity information from police and court records; Identity Theft Passport","url":"\/18.2-186.5\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-186.5","metadata":false},{"id":64651,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-186.6","catch_line":"Breach of personal information notification","url":"\/18.2-186.6\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-186.6","metadata":false},{"id":56090,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-187","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/18.2-187\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-187","metadata":false},{"id":64355,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-187.1","catch_line":"Obtaining or attempting to obtain oil, electric, gas, water, telephone, telegraph, cable television or electronic communication service without payment; penalty; civil liability","url":"\/18.2-187.1\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-187.1","metadata":false},{"id":72422,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-187.2","catch_line":"Audiovisual recording of motion pictures unlawful; penalty","url":"\/18.2-187.2\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-187.2","metadata":false},{"id":64840,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-188","catch_line":"Defrauding hotels, motels, campgrounds, boardinghouses, etc","url":"\/18.2-188\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-188","metadata":false},{"id":61566,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-188.1","catch_line":"Defrauding person having a lien on an animal; penalty","url":"\/18.2-188.1\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-188.1","metadata":false},{"id":78241,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-189","catch_line":"Defrauding keeper of motor vehicles or watercraft","url":"\/18.2-189\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-189","metadata":false},{"id":76832,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-190","catch_line":"Fraudulent misrepresentation as to breed of bull or cattle","url":"\/18.2-190\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-190","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":72422,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-187.2","catch_line":"Audiovisual recording of motion pictures unlawful; penalty","url":"\/18.2-187.2\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-187.2","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":61566,"structure_id":14590,"section_number":"18.2-188.1","catch_line":"Defrauding person having a lien on an animal; penalty","url":"\/18.2-188.1\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-188.1","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-188\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 8 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1960, chapter 358; in 1974, chapter 615; in 1975, chapters 14 and 15; in 1977, chapter 178; in 1981, chapter 197; in 1993, chapter 575; in 2018, chapters 764<\/a> and 765<\/a>; in 2020, chapters 89<\/a> and 401<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":166139,"object_type":"law","relational_id":64840,"identifier":"18.2-188","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-188","url":"\/18.2-188\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-188\/","token":"18.2\/6\/5\/18.2-188","dublin_core":{"Title":"Defrauding hotels, motels, campgrounds, boardinghouses, etc","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-188","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

It shall be unlawful for any person, without paying therefor, and with the intent<\/span> to cheat or defraud the owner or keeper to:<\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> Put up at a hotel, motel, campground or boardinghouse; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> Obtain food from a restaurant or other eating house; <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

3.<\/span> Gain entrance to an amusement park; or <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

4.<\/span> Without having an express agreement for credit, procure food, entertainment or accommodation from any hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant, eating house or amusement park.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent<\/span> to cheat or defraud the owner or keeper out of the pay therefor to obtain credit at a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant or eating house for food, entertainment or accommodation by means of any false show of baggage or effects brought thereto.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent<\/span> to cheat or defraud, to obtain credit at a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant, eating house or amusement park for food, entertainment or accommodation through any misrepresentation or false statement.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent<\/span> to cheat or defraud, to remove or cause to be removed any baggage or effects from a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant or eating house while there is a lien<\/span> existing thereon for the proper charges due from him for fare and board furnished.\n\t\t\tAny person who violates any provision of this section is, if the value of service, credit or benefit procured or obtained is $1,000 or more, guilty of a Class 5 felony<\/span> or is, if the value is less than $1,000, guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFRAUDING HOTELS, MOTELS, CAMPGROUNDS, BOARDINGHOUSES, ETC (\u00a7 18.2-188)\n\nIt shall be unlawful for any person, without paying therefor, and with the\nintent to cheat or defraud the owner or keeper to:\n\n1. Put up at a hotel, motel, campground or boardinghouse;\n\n2. Obtain food from a restaurant or other eating house;\n\n3. Gain entrance to an amusement park; or\n\n4. Without having an express agreement for credit, procure food, entertainment\nor accommodation from any hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant,\neating house or amusement park.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to cheat or defraud the\nowner or keeper out of the pay therefor to obtain credit at a hotel, motel,\ncampground, boardinghouse, restaurant or eating house for food, entertainment or\naccommodation by means of any false show of baggage or effects brought thereto.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to cheat or defraud, to\nobtain credit at a hotel, motel, campground, boardinghouse, restaurant, eating\nhouse or amusement park for food, entertainment or accommodation through any\nmisrepresentation or false statement.\n\t\t\tIt shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to cheat or defraud, to\nremove or cause to be removed any baggage or effects from a hotel, motel,\ncampground, boardinghouse, restaurant or eating house while there is a lien\nexisting thereon for the proper charges due from him for fare and board\nfurnished.\n\t\t\tAny person who violates any provision of this section is, if the value of\nservice, credit or benefit procured or obtained is $1,000 or more, guilty of a\nClass 5 felony or is, if the value is less than $1,000, guilty of a Class 1\nmisdemeanor.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-120; 1960, c. 358; 1974, c. 615; 1975, cc. 14, 15;\n1977, c. 178; 1981, c. 197; 1993, c. 575; 2018, cc. 764, 765; 2020, cc. 89, 401.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}