Making False Reports to Law Enforcement

Making a false report to a law enforcement officer is a first-degree misdemeanor. The maximum penalty is one year in jail, plus a criminal fine. Charges of making a false report apply if you reported a crime to law enforcement, but you knew that the crime did not happen, and you also knew that the person you were talking to was a law enforcement officer. In other words, it is not a crime to repeat unsubstantiated rumors to your peers, or even to post sensational but dubious reports on social media about crimes that you personally did not witness. It is a crime, however, to call 911 and tell the operator about a crime when you know that the crime did not happen. Here, our Miami criminal defense lawyer explains recent criminal cases involving false reports made to law enforcement.

Coral Springs Woman Accused of Falsely Reporting Identity Theft

In October 2024, a Coral Springs woman went to her local TD Bank branch and complained that someone had fraudulently opened a bank account in her name. A year and a half later, she was arrested for grand theft, among other offenses. An investigation revealed that the woman had opened the account by going to the bank in person; security camera footage from the bank showed her presenting documents to the teller on the day that the bank was opened. Shortly after she opened the account, it received a wire transfer valued at over $18,000 from California. The person who sent the money said that someone claiming to be a Wells Fargo representative had called her and said that her account had been compromised and that she should wire the remaining money in her account to an account in Florida, which she did. The account was the newly opened Coral Springs account and the account holder was the one who had called the California woman and told her to wire the money. Now the Coral Springs woman is being charged with grand theft, which is a third-degree felony, in addition to the misdemeanor charge for making false reports.

Bar Patron Arrested After Making False Reports About Bar Serving Alcohol to Underage Customers

In December 2025, police in San Carlos Park received a call about underage drinking at the Sea Grass Sports Grill, so they went to the establishment to investigate. After interviewing the customers and employees, they determined that everyone present was at least 21 years old. As the night continued, so did the 911 calls from a man claiming that the bar was serving alcohol to underage patrons. The 911 dispatchers asked the caller his name, but sometimes he refused to identify himself, and other times, he gave a false name. The police went to the bar a second time, and again found that no one was underage. After the second visit, they refused to go back to the bar and instead began looking for the caller.

Eventually, police officers saw a man walking along the road near the bar, talking on a cell phone. The phone screen showed that he was on the phone with 911. The officer who arrested him noted that he appeared drunk. Employees of the Sea Grass Sports Grill later told police that they had kicked the 911 caller out of the bar earlier that night. Police believe that he made the false reports to harass the bar employees.

Palm Beach County Content Creator Arrested for Making AI Video Appearing to Show a Crime

In March, a Seminole County Sheriff’s deputy was shopping at a retail store in Lake Mary, when a young man approached him and showed him a video that he claimed to have filmed in the parking lot seconds earlier with his phone. The video showed two men breaking into the patrol car. When the deputy left the store, he discovered that his patrol car had not been broken into, but the man who showed him the video had disappeared. Several months later, the maker of the video, a 22-year-old man from Lake Worth Beach, was arrested in Puerto Rico. He is currently facing charges for fabricating physical evidence, illegal use of a two-way communication device, and making a false report to law enforcement. Other people have since complained to police about the defendant making AI videos appearing to show the recipients’ property being stolen, their spouses cheating on them, or other disturbing incidents.

Contact Our Criminal Defense Attorneys

A South Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges for making false reports to law enforcement.  Contact Ratzan & Faccidomo in Miami, Florida for a confidential consultation about your case.

Sources:

wptv.com/region-c-palm-beach-county/lake-worth-beach/lake-worth-beach-man-facing-charges-for-using-ai-video-to-file-false-police-report-in-seminole-county

gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/misuse-911-underage-drinking-san-carlos-park-bar/69879044

tapinto.net/towns/coral-springs/sections/police-and-fire/articles/coral-springs-woman-arrested-for-grand-theft-after-filing-false-identity-theft-report-police-say