Don't send fake letters to newspapers: it's California law

Posted Sat, Oct 8, 2005 at 12:33 am
Here's a little bit of wackiness from the California Penal Code:
538a. Every person who signs any letter addressed to a newspaper with the name of a person other than himself and sends such letter to the newspaper, or causes it to be sent to such newspaper, with intent to lead the newspaper to believe that such letter was written by the person whose name is signed thereto, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Obviously, we don't want impersonations of other people, but at the same time this might impact people who are playing harmless pranks using completely made-up names. Of course, in that case the defense might be that if there's someone by that same name it was just a coincidence.

In any case, my foray into the morass was occasioned by the story "Consultant used others' names in letter-writing blitz to local newspaper":
Activist and political consultant Richard Salzman liked to sound off about his causes in letters to the editors of Eureka-area newspapers. Other local residents, like R. Trent Williams, Dick Wyatt, and R. Johnson, often backed him up, praising Salzman's points and echoing his jabs at political foes.

Salzman made a name for himself last year by helping Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos defeat a recall attempt backed by the timber industry. Salzman also worked on other successful campaigns in the area.

But his star quickly dimmed when a newspaper revealed that all of those like-minded letters penned over several months actually came from Salzman himself. Now, he's under investigation by local authorities and could face criminal charges for violating a state law that makes it a misdemeanor to send phony letters to newspapers...
On a slightly related note, see "In letters to the editor, too many copycats?"

Comments

Terri L Doyle (not verified)

Sat, 11/18/2006 - 15:08

I have a situation that is in need of immediate advise, unfortunately my local sheriffs department can't do anything. Here's my question. Is it at all illegal for someone to use my personal information, name, address, phone etc. to order magazine subscriptions and other merchendise through the mail and have it deliverd to me as a prank? I am now fighting with these company's because his joke to me has put me responsible for a debt over $2000.00
Thank you

John S Bolton (not verified)

Sat, 10/08/2005 - 15:16

Interesting that you get prosecuted for impersonation when trying to fool a newspaper, but not if you're an illegal alien trying to get net public subsidy, from aggression on those whose existence we are directed not to ever mention, the net taxpayers.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 01/18/2010 - 19:44

I followed that case with Salzman and it turned out after an exhaustive investigation that included serving a search warrant on his home and confiscating his computers for several months that the AG's office which handled it issued a statement that they "found that other then fictitious names, he had also used the name of his dog Sarah, but that was not a crime either." No charges were ever filed. It sounded like the AG was in part trying to make fun of the Trinidad Police Chief Ken Thrailkill (real name!) for taking this silliness to this level in what was likely just political retribution. Apparently the DA Salzman supported, later prosecuted a fellow police chief in Humboldt County for a wrongful death by SWAT team, so the chief may not have been wrong to fear them both!