Forgery is a violation of California Penal Code Section 470. A forgery takes place when an individual knowingly alters, creates, or uses a written document, intending to commit a fraud. The most common act of forgery is passing a bad check at a bank or check cashing store. Forgery charges may be filed as a misdemeanor or felony. If you or someone you care about has been charged with altering a document illegally, the punishment may be either probation or jail time, including state prison depending on the amount of loss involved and if the defendant has prior convictions for the same offense.
Forgery occurs when you intent to commit a fraud and:
- Sign someone else’s name without authorization
- Counterfeit or recreate the seal of handwriting of another without prior approval,
- Alter, corrupt, or falsify specific legal written documents, such as a will or court record, and/or
- Falsely make, alter, recreate, counterfeit, utter, or publish
- Any document or item relating to money, stocks, a sale, transfer, or exchange of goods or property,
- Any written document relating to how one intends to dispose of his/her property upon death,
- A legal document other than a will or court record (a power of attorney, for example), or
- A notarized document.
In all forgery cases it does not matter if the victim suffered an actual monetary loss of if you paid restitution to the victim.
Newport Beach criminal defense attorney Maltaise Cini has been successful in defending forgery charges. Contact Maltaise Cini today for an immediate consultation at 949-660-1389, or visit Attorney Cini on the web at www.maltaisecinilaw.com.