{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-514.060","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 514.060","heading":"Theft of services.","body":"(1) A person is guilty of theft of services when:\n(a) The person intentionally obtains services by deception or threat or by false\ntoken or other means to avoid payment for the services which he or she knows\nare available only for compensation;\n(b) The person intentionally obtains wireless communications services or access\nto services by any of the following means:\n1. Unauthorized interception of any electronic serial number, mobile\nidentification number, personal identification number, or like identifying\nnumber;\n2. Unauthorized interception of any cellul ar service or personal\ncommunications service as terms may be defined in 47 C.F.R. parts 22\nand 24 respectively;\n3. Unauthorized interception of any similar telephone service; or\n4. Use of deception, threat, or other means to avoid payment for the\nservices which the person knows are available only for charge or\ncompensation; or\n(c) Having control over or unauthorized access to the use of the services of others\nto which the person is not entitled, the person intentionally diverts the services\nto the person's own benefit or the benefit of another not entitled thereto.\n(2) Where compensation for services is ordinarily paid immediately upon the rendering\nof the services, as in the case of hotels and restaurants, refusal to pay or absconding\nwithout payment or offer to pay shall be prima facie evidence that the services were\nobtained by deception as to intention to pay.\n(3) In any prosecution for theft of gas, water, electricity, or other public service, where\nthe utility supplying the service had installed a mete r or other device to record the\namount of service supplied, proof that:\n(a) The meter or other device has been altered, tampered with, or bypassed in a\nmanner so as to prevent or reduce the recording thereof; or\n(b) Service has been, after having been disc onnected by the utility supplying\nservice, reconnected without authorization of the utility\nshall be prima facie evidence of the intent to commit theft of service by the person\nor persons obligated to pay for service supplied through the meter or other device.\n(4) Theft of services is a Class B misdemeanor unless:\n(a) The value of the service is five hundred dollars ($500) or more but less than\none thousand dollars ($1,000), in which case it is a Class A misdemeanor;\n(b) The value of the service is one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more but less than\nten thousand dollars ($10,000), in which case it is a Class D felony;\n(c) A person has three (3) or more convictions under paragraph (a) of this\nsubsection within the last  five (5) years, in which case it is a Class D felony.\nThe five (5) year period shall be measured from the dates on which the\noffenses occurred for which the judgments of conviction were entered; or\n(d) The value of the service is ten thousand dollars ($10 ,000) or more, in which\ncase it is a Class C felony.\n(5) If any person commits two (2) or more separate offenses of theft of services within\nninety (90) days, the offenses may be combined and treated as a single offense, and\nthe value of the property in ea ch offense may be aggregated for the purpose of\ndetermining the appropriate charge.","path":["KRS Chapter 514"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=51040","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:02Z","sha256":"82812da43c76d05d47928a4e79b9be5c9f37f36342c37b1413dece9115786b00","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-514.050","next":"us-ky/krs-514.065"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}