Forgery

In New Hampshire, forgery crimes are taken seriously.

If you’ve been accused of forgery, you could be facing stiff penalties, depending on the circumstances of your case.

The first thing you should do after you are arrested on a forgery charge is to call criminal defense lawyer Michael Anzalone. He is experienced in forgery and other white collar crimes and has the expertise to help you get the best outcome possible when your case goes to court.

In simple legal terms, forgery is the act of creating a false or fake document or altering an original document with the intention of defrauding someone. It can be a relative, friend or business partner. Or, it can be someone you don’t even know.

As you can probably see, this is a serious crime that often involves banking issues of other personal or business documents. And sometimes, the forgery causes someone the loss of a great deal of money or even property.

In some cases that have been common lately, caregivers of the elderly have taken advantage of them by forging checks or other documents to gain control of their money. Before a family member realizes it, the caregiver has absconded with much of the person’s personal savings. Perhaps they’ve even gotten away with a life’s worth of savings and retirement benefits.

Or, in a more simple forgery case, an adult child steals a check or a bunch of checks from a parent or grandparent and forges their signature. This is happening at an increased rate due to the opioid crisis, which creates the need for quick money for drugs.

No matter the scenario, if you take someone that isn’t yours by forging your name on a check or other document, you have committed forgery.

It’s a serious crime and in New Hampshire, prosecutors and judges are ready to go after you.

That’s why you’ll want someone like criminal defense attorney Michael Anzalone in your corner. Never head to court without the services of a well-respected lawyer by your side.

The first thing you should know is to never speak to police officers or other law enforcement officials until you’ve retained a lawyer. They can use what you say against you in court so you need to be very careful when you speak about your case to them.

Here is what the state says about forgery in RSA 638:1:

Forgery is a class B felony if the writing is or purports to be:
(a) A security, revenue stamp, or any other instrument issued by a government, or any agency thereof; or
(b) A check, an issue of stocks, bonds, or any other instrument representing an interest in or a claim against property, or a pecuniary interest in or claim against any person or enterprise.
IV. All other forgery is a class B misdemeanor.
V. A person is guilty of a class B misdemeanor if he knowingly possesses any writing that is a forgery under this section or any device for making any such writing. It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this paragraph that the possession was without an intent to defraud.

As you can see, forger is not to be taken lightly.

If you’ve been arrested on forgery charges, call The Anzalone Law Firm in Nashua, New Hampshire, today for a free consultation.