{"jurisdiction": "us-ny", "code": "penal", "section": "240.48", "citation": "Penal Law § 240.48", "heading": "Disseminating a false registered sex offender notice", "text": ["§ 240.48 Disseminating a false registered sex offender notice.", "A person is guilty of disseminating a false registered sex offender notice when, knowing the information he or she disseminates or causes to be disseminated to be false or baseless, such person disseminates or causes to be disseminated any notice which purports to be an official notice from a government agency or a law enforcement agency and such notice asserts that an individual is a registered sex offender.", "Disseminating a false registered sex offender notice is a class A misdemeanor."], "official_source": "https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/240.48", "from_official_api": true, "plain_english": "**Knowingly circulating a false or baseless notice that pretends to be from a government or law-enforcement agency and says someone is a registered sex offender** is disseminating a false registered-sex-offender notice, a **class A misdemeanor**. ★", "in_force_on": "2026-05-31", "retrieved": "2026-09-27", "url": "https://elyphived.com/us-ny/penal/240.48", "publisher": "Elyphived LLC"}