Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title XXII Chapter 166
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 166, § 42A (2026)

Telecommunication service; fraud; penalty

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 42A. Whoever, with intent to defraud, obtains, or attempts to obtain, or aids or abets another in obtaining, any telecommunications services valued less than five thousand dollars by any false representation, false statement, or stratagem, by unauthorized charging to the account of another, by installing or tampering with any facilities or equipment or by any other means, shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years in a house of correction, or both.

Whoever, with intent to defraud, obtains, or attempts to obtain, or aids or abets another in obtaining, any telecommunications services of a value equal to or greater than five thousand dollars by any false representation, false statement, or stratagem, by unauthorized charging to the account of another, by installing or tampering with any facilities or equipment or by any other means, shall be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than ten years in a state prison, or both.

As used in this section, the words ''telecommunication service'' shall include the transmission of intelligence by a community antenna television system licensed pursuant to the provisions of chapter one hundred and sixty-six A.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1973–2002 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Allen, 767 N.E.2d 1086 (Mass. App. Ct. 2002).
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Commonwealth v. Allen, 767 N.E.2d 1086 (Mass. App. Ct. 2002). · cites it 4× “166A and, thus, was a provider of telecommunication services for the purposes of G. L. c. 166, § 42A. In order to convict the defendant for a violation of G.”
Commonwealth v. Cruz, 756 N.E.2d 1175 (Mass. App. Ct. 2001). “94C, § 40; telecommunications fraud, G. L. c. 166, § 42A; unlawful possession of telecommunications equipment, G.”
Commonwealth v. Todisco, 294 N.E.2d 860 (Mass. 1973). “1 G. L. c. 166, § 42A, inserted by St. 1961, c.”
Ciminelli v. Cablevision, 583 F. Supp. 144 (E.D.N.Y 1984). “471; Mass. Gen.Laws Ann. ch. 166, §§ 42A, B (West 1976), as amended by 1983- Mass.”
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