Welcome to Aftfa

We are a charitable organization dedicated to serving those who were falsely accused of domestic violence. Our mission is to have the law changed or amended where false accusers of domestic violence are prosecuted and receive the same judgment the falsely accused would have received if convicted! Furthermore to provide support, education, and proper litigation whether male or female. 

If there is anything that recent headlines have taught us, is that domestic violence is terrible, demeaning and inhumane. No one should have to endure any type of abuse , and no one should feel comfortable with physically hurting someone they are supposed to love! Additionally, we learned that domestic violence  does not discriminate, it respects no boundaries of gender, race, or religion, male or female. Sad to say there are over 1,000,000  cases of false domestic violence or abuse charges in the U.S. Anyone can be falsely accused of domestic violence which can fracture, tarnish or destroy the name of the accused, their reputation personal/business. A false accusation can cause close family members to distrust ti=he falsely accused which can ;leave them without a support system.  Even when innocence has been determined and the petition’s charges are dismissed, the fact that domestic violence has been associated with your name can be very hard to overcome! . 

Being falsley accused of domestic violence has a lasting stigma although dismissed it can be difficult to shake, and it may take a long time to restore one's reputation. The accused is at the total mercy of law enforcement and the court system. There are laws  that make it a crime to report false information, but rarely enforced. Some of those F.S. are listed below:   

Florida Statute Section 817.49 states it is a criminal offense to knowingly give a false report regarding a crime that did not occur. The first offense of giving a false statement of a crime is a first-degree misdemeanor and carries penalties to one year in jail or one-year probation and a $1,000 fine.

 Florida Statute Section 837.05, states it is a criminal offense for a person to knowingly give to a law enforcement or police officer false information regarding the commission of a crime.  

 Florida Statute Section 817.49, states False Report of a Crime, or ‘False Police Report,’ occurs where a person makes a willful allegation to law enforcement regarding the commission of a crime, while knowing that no such crime has occurred. The offense carries misdemeanor penalties, including up to 1 year in jail. Under the law, it is a criminal offense for a person to willfully and knowingly give false information or make a false report regarding the commission of a crime that the person knows did not actually occur.

First Offense Penalties If Convicted Of Domestic Violence In Florida

Criminal County Courts in Florida handle cases that involve misdemeanor criminal charges. A criminal charge, punishable by one year or less of prison time, is considered a misdemeanor. In Florida, if you are convicted of Domestic Violence Battery, the penalties include:

• A maximum of one year in prison.
• A maximum of one year of probation.
• A maximum of a $1,000 fine

The penalties you could face will be decided by the judge presiding over the criminal case in a Florida criminal County Court and could increase with a second or third offense. The judge could also approve a request for imposing a domestic violence injunction, commonly known as a restraining order. If ordered, this injunction can restrict how and when you can have contact with the other party. Also the injunction can have a more devastating effect in that you can be restricted from your business if shared or on your property! 

As you can see the penalties for the falsely accused can be devastating and costly in comparison to even the first offense of domestic violence! The laws have to be changed or amended to level the field of justice, AFTFA is dedicated to making it a crime to report false domestic violence in the state of Florida, punishable by a maximum of 1 year in prison, maximum of 1 year of probation, a maximum of a $1000.00 fine! This matches the penalty for first time offenders of domestic violence and we believe it will lesson the desire to make the false accusation or perform a physical act upon oneself.