Several States, as well as the Federal Government, have passed legislation that criminalizes “illegal” debt collection practices, with sanctions that range from one to six years in prison. The way these crimes are regulated in each jurisdiction differs substantially but, in general, their intention is to prevent debt collection practices or efforts through illegal means, including acts of intimidation, harassment, or violence, or through the use of false documentation, such as seals or court documents (which used to be a recurrent illegal practice by some collection firms). Other crimes that are closely related to illegal collection practices and that constitute crimes in themselves include threats (“amenazas”), defamation (“difamación”), slander (“calumnia”), and extortion (“extorsión”), all regulated under State and Federal law and usually punishable with prison.