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Florida Statute 817.54 - Full Text and Legal Analysis Florida Statute 817.54 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
Fla. Stat. § 817.54 (2026) Copy Cite Official Site Syfertize CourtListener Amendments
817.54 Obtaining of mortgage, mortgage note, promissory note, etc., by false representation.Any person who, with intent to defraud, obtains any mortgage, mortgage note, promissory note or other instrument evidencing a debt from any person or obtains the signature of any person to any mortgage, mortgage note, promissory note or other instrument evidencing a debt by color or aid of fraudulent or false representation or pretenses, or obtains the signature of any person to a mortgage, mortgage note, promissory note, or other instrument evidencing a debt, the false making whereof would be punishable as forgery, shall be guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
History.s. 1, ch. 63-142; s. 880, ch. 71-136.

Arrestable Offenses under F.S. 817.54

M = misdemeanor · F = felony · degree: F=1st S=2nd T=3rd
§817.54FRAUDOBTAIN MORTGAGE BY FALSE REPRESENTATIONF · 3rd

Cases Citing F.S. 817.54

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·Silver v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 760 F. Supp. 2d 1330 (S.D. Fla. 2011).

Cited 15 times | Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5664, 2011 WL 121701

...Local Rule 12.1, and the claim is deficient in that regard. Second, Silver has failed to make even a minimal showing as to how Countrywide committed acts in violation of the statute. Rather, the Complaint states, "[t]he prohibited acts committed by COUNTRYWIDE are enumerated in Florida Statutes § 817.54." and "[t]his vicious pattern of fraud and the reinvestment of proceeds from that fraud are enumerated in multiple jurisdiction by multiple plaintiffs....
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Cited as authority(citing case) (2024)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authority(citing case) (2024)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityMyers (2023)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·Pizzo v. State, 910 So. 2d 287 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005).

Cited 6 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2005 WL 1705237

...Pizzo agreed to the overall objective of the conspiracy, Mrs. Pizzo's argument that the State did not prove that she committed two predicate acts is rendered moot. C. Judgment of Acquittal-Mortgage Fraud The State charged Mrs. Pizzo with six counts of mortgage fraud in violation of section 817.54, Florida Statutes (1997), which provides: *293 Any person who, with intent to defraud, obtains any mortgage, mortgage note, promissory note or other instrument evidencing a debt from any person or obtains the signature of any person to...
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Cited as authorityIzquierdo (2015)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityBarrios (2011)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityGrant (2010)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·Adams v. State, 650 So. 2d 1039 (Fla. 3d DCA 1995).

Cited 4 times | Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 1995 WL 46412

...The police suggested issuing the check to lure the defendant to appear. Defendant was arrested exiting HFC with the check. Defendant was charged with grand theft in violation of section 812.014, Florida Statutes (1991) (Count I), and with obtaining a mortgage by false representation in violation of section 817.54, Florida Statutes (1991) (Count II)....
...3d DCA 1990), approved, 572 So.2d 1380 (Fla. 1991), an element not present in Count II, obtaining a mortgage by false representation. Count II requires proof that false or fraudulent information was offered by defendant with the intent to defraud, § 817.54, Fla....
...Defendant argues that HFC was not deceived as a result of any false representations, and issued *1041 the check in an attempt to lure her presence and facilitate her arrest. We agree. Chapter 817, Florida Statutes, Fraudulent Practices, enumerates false pretenses and fraud crimes. Section 817.54 provides: Any person who, with intent to defraud, obtains any mortgage, mortgage note, promissory note or other instrument evidencing a debt from any person or obtains the signature of any person to any mortgage, mortgage note, promiss...
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Cited as authorityIzquierdo (2015)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityBarrios (2011)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityGrant (2010)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·Grant v. State, 43 So. 3d 864 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 12906, 2010 WL 3446138

...yond a reasonable doubt, then there is sufficient evidence to sustain a conviction. Id. (citing Banks v. State, 732 So.2d 1065 (Fla.1999)). In count 5 of the information, Grant and Morris were charged with and convicted of mortgage fraud pursuant to section 817.54, Florida Statutes (2004)....
...NOTES [1] Grant and Morris were tried together and each has filed an appeal. Although we have consolidated these cases for disposition in this opinion, they remain separate and distinct cases for all other purposes. [2] The validity of that stop is not challenged on appeal. [3] Section 817.54, Florida Statutes, provides: Any person who, with intent to defraud, obtains any mortgage, mortgage note, promissory note or other instrument evidencing a debt from any person or obtains the signature of any person to any mortgage, mor...
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Cited as authorityIzquierdo (2015)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityBarrios (2011)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·Barrios v. State, 75 So. 3d 374 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 2011 Fla. App. LEXIS 18980, 2011 WL 5964339

...n or pretenses, or obtains the signature of any person to a mortgage, mortgage note, promissory note, or other instrument evidencing a debt, the false making whereof would be punishable as forgery, shall be guilty of a felony of the third degree.... § 817.54, Fla. Stat. (2009). Further, to prove this crime, there must be evidence of the victim’s reliance on the defendant’s misrepresentation. Adams v. State, 650 So.2d 1039, 1041 (Fla. 3d DCA 1995). Section 817.54 “criminalizes a specific form of false pretense crime....
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Cited as authority(citing case) (2019)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityIzquierdo (2015)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·Pino v. Bank of New York Mellon, 57 So. 3d 950 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011).

Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 2011 Fla. App. LEXIS 4341, 2011 WL 1135541

prevented in the execution thereof); see also § 817.54 Fla. Stat. (2010) (third degree felony to — with
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Cited as authorityPino (2013)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityPino (2011)
phrase: "rule_authority"
Cited as authorityFerere (2011)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·Izquierdo v. State, 177 So. 3d 1018 (Fla. 3d DCA 2015).

Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 2015 Fla. App. LEXIS 15986, 2015 WL 6499244

...to sustain a conviction. Grant v. State, 43 So. 3d 864, 868 (Fla. 5th DCA 2010). III. ANALYSIS Izquierdo asserts that the State failed to present a prima facie case that she obtained a mortgage from Countrywide by false pretenses in violation of section 817.54, Florida Statutes (2006). Section 817.54 provides: Any person who, with intent to defraud, obtains any mortgage, mortgage note, promissory note or other instrument evidencing a debt from any person or obtains the signature of any person to any mor...
0 red0 yellow1 green0 procedural
Cited as authorityJefferson (2018)
phrase: "rule_authority"
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·In Re Stand. Jury Instructions in Crim. Cases— Report No. 2013-06, 148 So. 3d 1204 (Fla. 2014).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 2014 WL 4636358

....04(1) 5.1 Assault 784.011 8.1 Comment This instruction was adopted in 2014. 20.20 MORTGAGE FRAUD § 817.545(2) & (5), Fla....
...filed or caused to be filed with the clerk of the circuit court for any Florida county a document involved in the mortgage lending process which contained a material [misstatement] [misrepresentation] [or] [omission]. Give if applicable. § 817.545(5)(b), Fla. Stat. If you find that the defendant guilty of Mortgage Fraud, you must also determine if the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt whether the loan value stated on documents used in the mortgage lending process exceeded $100,000. § 817.545(2)(a) & (b), Fla. Stat. Omissions on a loan application regarding employment, income, or assets for a loan which does not require this information are not considered material omissions for purposes of Mortgage Fraud. § 817.545(1), Fla....
...ts; HUD-1 settlement statements; supporting personal documentation for loan applications such as W-2 forms, verifications of income and employment, credit reports, bank statements, tax returns, and payroll stubs; and any required disclosures. § 817.545(1), Fla....
...A fact is material if it has the capacity or natural tendency to influence a person’s decision. Any misrepresentation or concealment must be reasonably calculated to deceive persons of ordinary prudence and comprehension. Lesser Included Offenses MORTGAGE FRAUD — 817.545 CATEGORY ONE CATEGORY TWO FLA....
...Comment The crime of Mortgage Fraud may not be predicated solely upon information lawfully disclosed under federal disclosure laws, regulations, or interpretations related to the mortgage lending process. See § 817.545(3), Fla....
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Adopted(citing case) (2018)
phrase: "adopted in"

This Florida statute resource is curated by Graham Syfert, a Jacksonville, Florida criminal defense attorney (Florida Bar No. 39104). Attorney Syfert regularly handles Chapter 817 matters in the context of fraud and white collar defense and represents clients throughout Northeast Florida. For legal consultation, call 904-383-7448.