Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 97 - CRIMES (§§ 97-1-1 — 97-47-9) › Chapter 45 - COMPUTER CRIMES AND IDENTITY THEFT (§§ 97-45-1 — 97-45-33) › Section 97-45-2 - Identity theft; definitions; investigative authority of Attorney General; form of subpoena; enforcement and penal provisions; refusal to produce documents as requested by subpoena; confidentiality of information

(1)
For the purposes of this chapter, "identity theft" includes crimes chargeable under the following provisions of law:
(a)
Section
97-9-79
, which relates to false information.
(b)
Section
97-19-83
, which relates to fraud by mail or other means of communication.
(c)
Section
97-19-85
, which relates to the fraudulent use of identity social security number, credit card or debit card number or other identifying information.
(d)
Section
97-45-19
, which relates to obtaining personal identity information of another person without authorization.
(2)
(a)
In conducting identity theft investigations, the Attorney General shall have the authority to issue and serve subpoenas to any person in control of any designated documents for the production of such documents, including, but not limited to, writings, drawings, graphs, charts, photographs, phono-records and other data compilations from which information can be obtained, or translated through detection devices into reasonably usable form. Such subpoenas shall require the named person, his agent or attorney, to appear and deliver the designated documents to a location in the county of his residence unless the court for good cause shown directs that the subpoena be issued for the person to deliver such documents to a location outside of the county of his residence. Mere convenience of the Attorney General shall not be considered good cause. The Attorney General or his designee shall have the authority to inspect and copy such documents. Such subpoenas shall be issued only upon the ex parte and in camera application of the Attorney General to the circuit or chancery court of the county of residence of the person in control of the documents or the circuit or chancery court of the county where the person in control of the documents may be found, and only upon a showing that the documents sought are relevant to a criminal investigation under this chapter or may lead to the discovery of such relevant evidence. Thereafter said court shall have jurisdiction to enforce or quash such subpoenas and to enter appropriate orders thereon, and nothing contained in this section shall affect the right of a person to assert a claim that the information sought is privileged by law.
(b)
A subpoena issued pursuant to this subsection shall be in substantially the following form:
SUBPOENA TO PRODUCE DOCUMENTS PURSUANT
TO AN INVESTIGATION BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
TO:
YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED to appear before the Attorney General of the State of Mississippi or his designated staff attorney at the place, date and time specified below in an investigation being conducted by the Attorney General pursuant to Section ____________________, Mississippi Code of 1972:
Place ____________________ Date and Time ____________________
YOU ARE ALSO COMMANDED to bring with you the following document(s) or object(s) ____________________.
You are advised that the ____________________ Court of the ____________________ Judicial District of ____________________ County, Mississippi, has approved the ex parte and in camera application of the Attorney General to issue this subpoena, and jurisdiction to enforce and/or quash the subpoena and to enter appropriate orders thereon is statutorily vested in the said court; enforcement and penal provisions applicable to an Attorney General's investigation include those set forth in Section ____________________, Mississippi Code of 1972; and disclosure of testimony and/or records coming into possession of the Attorney General pursuant to this subpoena shall be limited by and subject to the provisions of said section (for informational purposes, these cited statutes are reproduced on the reverse side of this subpoena).
You may wish to consult an attorney in regard to this subpoena. You have certain state and federal constitutional rights, including your protection against self-incrimination and unreasonable search and seizure which this subpoena may affect.
ISSUED BY AND UNDER SEAL OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, this the ____________________ day of ____________________, 20____________________.
(SEAL)____________________
(c)
Following service of any subpoena, pursuant to the provisions of this subsection, a record of the return shall be made and kept by the Attorney General and subject only to such disclosure as may be authorized pursuant to the provisions of this section.
(3)
Enforcement and penal provisions applicable to an investigation under this section shall include the following:
(a)
If a person who has been served with a subpoena, which has been issued and served upon him in accordance with the provisions of this section, shall fail to deliver or have delivered the designated documents at the time and place required in the subpoena, on application of the Attorney General the circuit or chancery court having approved the issuance of the subpoena may issue an attachment for such person, returnable immediately, or at such time and place as the court may direct. Bond may be required and fine imposed and proceedings had thereon as in the case of a subpoenaed witness who fails to appear in circuit or chancery court.
(b)
Every person who shall knowingly and willfully obstruct, interfere with or impede an investigation under this section by concealing or destroying any documents, papers or other tangible evidence which are relevant to an investigation under this section shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(c)
Every person who shall knowingly and willfully endeavor, by means of bribery, force or intimidation, to obstruct, delay or prevent the communication of information to any agent or employee of the Office of the Attorney General or who injures another person for the purpose of preventing the communication of such information or an account of the giving of such information relevant to an investigation under this section shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(d)
The provisions of paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this subsection shall not prohibit the enforcement of, or prosecution under, any other statutes of this state.
(4)
(a)
If any person shall refuse, or is likely to refuse, on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination, to produce the designated documents as requested by a subpoena issued under this section or issued by a court, the Attorney General may request the court, ex parte and in camera, to issue an order requiring such person to produce the documents information which he refuses to give or provide on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination. The Attorney General may request said order under this subsection when, in his judgment:
(i)
The documents sought from such individual may be necessary to the public interest; and
(ii)
Such individual has refused or is likely to refuse to produce the designated document on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination.
Following such request, an order shall issue in accordance with this section requiring such person to produce the documents which he refuses to produce on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination.
(b)
Whenever a witness refuses, on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination, to produce documents, and the court issues to the witness an order under paragraph (a) of this subsection, the witness may not refuse to comply with the order on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination, but no documents or information compelled under the aforesaid order, or any information directly or indirectly derived from such documents may be used against the witness in any criminal proceeding, except a prosecution for perjury, giving a false statement, or otherwise failing to comply with the order.
(5)
Documents in the possession of the Attorney General gathered pursuant to the provisions of this section and subpoenas issued by him shall be maintained in confidential files with access limited to prosecutorial and other law enforcement investigative personnel on a "need to know" basis and shall be exempt from the provisions of the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983, except that upon the filing of an indictment or information, or upon the filing of an action for recovery of property, funds or fines, such documents shall be subject to such disclosure as may be required pursuant to the applicable statutes or court rules governing the trial of any such judicial proceeding.
(6)
No person, including the Attorney General, a member of his staff, prosecuting attorney, law enforcement officer, witness, court reporter, attorney or other person, shall disclose to an unauthorized person documents, including subpoenas issued and served, gathered by the Attorney General pursuant to the provisions of this section, except that upon the filing of an indictment or information, or upon the filing of an action for recovery of property, funds or fines, or in other legal proceedings, such documents shall be subject to such disclosure as may be required pursuant to applicable statutes and court rules governing the trial of any such judicial proceeding. In event of an unauthorized disclosure of any such documents gathered by the Attorney General pursuant to the provisions of this section, the person making any such unauthorized disclosure shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or imprisonment of not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(7)
The powers of the Attorney General under this section shall not diminish the powers of local authorities to investigate or prosecute any type of identity theft crime or any other criminal conduct within their respective jurisdictions, and the provisions of this section shall be in addition to the powers and authority previously granted the Attorney General by common, constitutional, statutory or case law.
Laws, 2004, ch. 526, § 6, eff. 7/1/2004.