Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

If a person subscribes in another's name unbeknownst to that person, one could argue it is identity theft. Also, the person would be defrauding the publisher or distributor, because while it sends the magazines, there is no way it will get paid.

I cannot think of an occasion where this would be illegal, unless it was done to harass someone (such that they would object to the content of the magazine). Even then, I am not sure if that is something a District Attorney would choose to prosecute. It would depend on the overall facts.