The Basics of Forgery
Forgery is known as any act that involves the making, altering or possessing of illegitimate or false documents that are used or intended for use to defraud another individual or organization. Forgery is a felony in all states. Not only may you face felony forgery charges for committing the act of forgery, but you may also be charged with the possession of any forged document or forgery device if you have knowledge of its true purpose. Insured bonds, deeds, titles, money orders, checks, currency, and corporate documents are some of the most commonly used documents in forgery. Heavy fines, jail time, probation, and hours of community service may all result if convicted.
Most often, individuals are charged with forgery for the following reasons:
- Signing another person’s name or a false name to any legal document with the intention to deceive or defraud another person.
- Knowingly presenting someone with a false check or other financial document, counterfeit money, a fake lottery ticket, forged legal documents or a false driver’s license or identification with the purpose of deceiving or defrauding another person.
- Writing a bad check when you are aware that there is not enough money in the account to cover the amount of the check.
It doesn’t matter whether the victim of forgery was actually defrauded or whether or not they were paid at a later date to make up for the initial act of forgery, according to the law. In order for conviction to occur, the prosecution must only prove that you merely had the intent to defraud the other person.
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