Tennessee § 48-1-123 - Criminal prosecution.

§ 48-1-123. Criminal prosecution.

Any person who willfully violates any provision of this part or who willfully violates any rule or order under this part commits a Class D felony. No person may be imprisoned for the violation of any rule or order if the person proves that the person had no actual knowledge of the rule or order. The commissioner may refer such evidence as is available concerning violations of this part or of any rule or order hereunder to the attorney general and reporter, or the district attorney general in the county where the violation was committed, either of whom may, with or without such a reference, institute the appropriate criminal proceedings under this part. Nothing in this part limits the power of this state to punish any person for any conduct which constitutes a crime by statute or at common law. Acts 1980, ch. 866, § 23; T.C.A., § 48-16-123 ; Acts 1989, ch. 591, § 42; 1996, ch. 1072, § 3; T.C.A., § 48-2-123 . Code Commission Notes. Former § 48-2-123 was transferred to § 48-1-123 by the code commission in 2012. Compiler's Notes. The Securities Law of 1955, formerly codified as §§ 48-1601 — 48-1653, was repealed by Acts 1980, ch. 886, § 27. However, the section also contained a savings provision referring to former §§ 48-1601 — 48-1653 which read: “(b) Prior law exclusively governs all suits, actions, prosecutions, or proceedings which are pending or may be initiated on the basis of facts or circumstances occurring before the effective date of this Act, except that no civil suit or action may be maintained to enforce any liability under prior law unless brought within any period of limitation which applied when the cause of action accrued and in any event within two years after the effective date of this Act. “(c) All effective registrations under prior law, all administrative orders relating to such registrations, and all conditions imposed upon such registrations remain in effect so long as they would have remained in effect if this Act had not been passed. They are considered to have been filed, entered, or imposed under this Act, but are governed by prior law. “(d) Prior law applies in respect of any sale made within one year after the effective date of this Act pursuant to an offering exempt under prior law which offering was begun in good faith before such effective date. “(e) Judicial review of all administrative orders as to which review proceedings have not been instituted by the effective date of this Act are governed by Section 20, except that no review proceeding may be instituted unless the petition is filed within any period of limitation which applied to a review proceeding when the order was entered and in any event within 60 days after the effective date of this Act.” The effective date of the Act was July 2, 1980. Cross-References. Penalty for Class D felony, § 40-35-111 .