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HomeCorporations CodeCh. 18§ 12672 Fraudulent Corporate Distribution Crime

§ 12672 Fraudulent Corporate Distribution Crime

Corporations Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 12672 Fraudulent Corporate Distribution Crime

This law says that if a company boss knowingly and dishonestly gives away company money or stuff to trick people who the company owes money to, or to make the company look more valuable than it really is, they can go to jail or pay a fine.

Key Takeaways

  • •Company bosses can't give away company money or stuff to trick people the company owes.
  • •If a boss does this, they can go to jail or pay a fine up to $1,000.
  • •This law is about being honest with company money and not cheating people.

Example

A company is struggling and owes money to banks and suppliers. The boss decides to give a bunch of company money to friends and family instead of paying back the people the company owes.

The boss is breaking the law because they are giving away company money dishonestly to trick the people the company owes money to. The boss could go to jail or have to pay a fine.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 12672 Fraudulent Corporate Distribution Crime

Any director of any corporation who concurs in any vote or act of the directors of the corporation or any of them, knowingly and with dishonest or fraudulent purpose, to make any distribution of assets, except in the case and in the manner allowed by this part, either with the design of defrauding creditors or members or of giving a false appearance to the value of the membership and thereby defrauding purchasers is guilty of a crime. Each such crime is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. (Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 44. (AB 109) Effective April 4, 2011. Operative October 1, 2011, by Sec. 636 of Ch. 15, as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 39, Sec. 68.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

directorcorporationfraudulent purposedistribution of assetsdefrauding creditorsdefrauding purchaserscrimeimprisonmentfine

Related Statutes

  • § 8812 Director Fraudulent Asset Distribution
  • § 6811 Director Fraudulent Distribution Crime
  • § 6813 Corporate Fraudulent Record Tampering
  • § 12674 Corporate Books Falsification
  • § 8814 Corporate Fraud By Officers

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Corporations Code. Section 12672.
View Official Source