720 ILCS 5/21-1.01 – Criminal Damage to Government Supported Property
This law makes it a crime to purposely harm or mess with property that the government pays for or supports.
This law says that it’s illegal to damage, burn, or interfere with buildings or land that the government helps pay for, including schools, parks, or offices. The punishment depends on how much damage is done – the worse the damage, the harsher the penalty.
(a) A person commits this crime if they knowingly do any of the following without the government’s permission:
- Damage any government-supported property.
- Use fire or explosives to damage government-supported property.
- Start a fire on government-supported land or in a building.
- Put a stink bomb or bad-smelling substance on government-supported land or in a building to bother or stop others from using it.
(b) “Government supported” means any place or thing that uses some government money – from the state, a local government, a school district, or federal funds given through state programs.
(c) Sentence: The punishment depends on how much damage is done:
- If the damage is $500 or less, it’s a Class 4 felony.
- If the damage is more than $500 but not more than $10,000, it’s a Class 3 felony.
- If the damage is more than $10,000 but not more than $100,000, it’s a Class 2 felony.
- If the damage is more than $100,000, it’s a Class 1 felony.
If the damage is over $10,000, the court also orders a fine equal to the cost of the damage.
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