Legal Question in Criminal Law in Tennessee

Harmless Joke?

A few weeks ago I made, only as a joke, a myspace profile using the name of my teacher. I put a picture of him on there. I put several things on the profile that I thought would tell people that it was a fake and was not made by the real person. However, a week or two ago a friend told me that the teacher wasn't that happy about it and wanted it taken down. I immediatly removed the profile because of his wishes. Because he didnt know that I had made the profile, he didn't know who to talk to about getting it down. He then talked to a friend of his who is a lawyer at the local district attorneys office. That lawyer didn't see it as a joke and talked to the regional d.a. and called the Tennessee bearuo of Investigation. I thought that after I took the profile down it would be ok. I have talked to the teacher and he is fine now that it has been taken down and has no wish for charges to be pressed. But today, while he were out, the d.a. lawyer and an agent of the TBI visited our house and left a card. I was wondering what, if any, trouble could I get in. My teacher told me they were talking ''criminal impersonation''. I looked up the TN defination and it says that I must have ''intent to defaud or injure.'' Thnx for any help.


Asked on 8/17/06, 7:24 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Jes Beard Jes Beard, Attorney at Law

Re: Harmless Joke?

Whether YOU would consider it a harmless joke or not, you certainly could be criminally prosecuted for what you did. Don't talk with ANYONE else about it, not your family not your friends, not the teacher, and certainly not anyone with law enforcement or any leaving a card at your door.

Contact an attorney who handles criminal law and talk with the attorney about things. No one else.

Most of the people now in jail or in prison are there because they opened their mouths and talked with people or testified in court or gave statements to the police when they did not have to and never should have.

Get an attorney.

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Answered on 8/26/06, 2:02 pm


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