{"data":{"id":"us-mi/mich.-comp.-laws-257.257","jurisdiction":"us-mi","citation":"Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.257","heading":"Altering, forging, or falsifying documents; violation; penalty.","body":"Sec. 257.\n\n(1) A person who commits any of the following acts is guilty of a felony:\n\n(a) Alters with fraudulent intent a certificate of title, registration certificate, or registration plate issued by the department.\n\n(b) Forges or counterfeits a certificate of title, registration certificate, or registration plate purporting to have been issued by the department.\n\n(c) Alters or falsifies with fraudulent intent or forges an assignment upon a certificate of title.\n\n(d) Holds or uses a certificate of title, registration certificate, or registration plate knowing that it has been altered, forged, or falsified.\n\n(e) Knowingly possesses, sells, or offers for sale a stolen, false, or counterfeit certificate of title, registration certificate, registration plate, registration decal, or registration tab.\n\n(f) Fraudulently indicates on a certificate of title that there is no security interest on record for the vehicle.\n\n(g) Forges or counterfeits a letter from the holder of a security interest in a vehicle stating that the security interest has been released.\n\n(2) A person who is convicted of a second violation of this section shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 2 years or more than 7 years, or by a fine of not less than $1,500.00 or more than $7,000.00, or both.\n\n(3) A person who is convicted of a third or subsequent violation of this section shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 5 years or more than 15 years, or by a fine of not less than $5,000.00 or more than $15,000.00, or both.\n\n(4) A person who is convicted of a violation of subsection (1)(f) or (g), in addition to any other penalty, shall pay restitution to the holder of a security interest in the vehicle in the amount of the outstanding lien on the vehicle.","path":["MI Code","Chapter 257","Act Act-300-of-1949"],"source_url":"https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-257","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:31Z","sha256":"48b472960ec9805f7e6d3932b333426f731e1382d6311a92b64b9ad987518754","source_id":"us-mi","stale":false,"prev":"us-mi/mich.-comp.-laws-257.256","next":"us-mi/mich.-comp.-laws-257.258"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}