Most Rhode Island felonies carry a ten-year statute of limitations from the date of the offense, and misdemeanors carry shorter windows. Credit card fraud typically falls under the felony limitations framework when charged at the felony level, and federal access device fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1029 has its own clock. The practical concern is less about the statute running than when it starts - prosecutors argue the clock begins at the end of the scheme, not the first transaction. A Rhode Island credit card fraud lawyer can pull the charging instrument, verify the limitations date, and move to dismiss if the state waited too long.
