Forgery - One of the Fastest Growing White Collar Crimes

Forgery is considered a theft crime and is still one of the fastest growing white collar crimes today. Forgery can be defined as the intention to commit fraud by knowingly creating, using, or altering a document.  Along with forgery comes the intention to deceive another at that person's expense or for the forger's own gain. Forgery can include actions such as knowingly passing on a bad check or cashing one that has been forged; it can involve forging loan documents, real estate documents, birth certificates, wills, prescriptions, death and marriage certificates, business agreements, vehicle registrations and more.

The Basic Types of Forgery

There are three basic types of forgery that occur namely signature forgery, altered documents and false documents. These have become more common today because of advancements in technology; the following are a few examples in each of the above stated categories.

• Altered Documents - It is not uncommon for checks or other documents to be forged by changing the information on the document. Ink can be dissolved or "washed" through the use of substances like acetone, bleach, paint thinner or other ink eradicators and new information put in place. Documents can also be easily changed with computers and ink jet printers resulting in new ones that look almost identical to the original.
• Signature forgery - This is the easiest form of forgery as it involves only a person's signature but is just as punishable a crime as any of the others. Signature forgery can apply to financial documents, prescriptions for medication, legal documents and more.
• False Documents - With the advancements in technology, it has become much easier to create false documents. Computers, scanners and printers have all made the process much easier.   Birth certificates, checks and even college transcripts have been subject to falsification in this manner.    

Have you been accused of forgery in Long Beach?  

If you have been accused of forgery, it is important that you seek legal counsel from a Long Beach criminal defense attorney.  At the Law Office of Leonard Matsuk, we are here to help. Attorney Matsuk has over 30 years of experience practicing law in the Long Beach area and has extensive trial experience, having tried over 300 cases in front of judges and juries.

Each case is unique but forgery charges can be successfully defended by utilizing the right strategy. It is also important to know whether any police investigation that may have occurred was carried out exactly as laid out by the law. If this is proven not to be the case, your rights may have been violated and this can favorably affect the outcome of your case. Let us help you avoid the possibility of having to pay heavy monetary fines and/or spend time in jail or prison from a forgery conviction.

For competent legal assistance, contact a Long Beach forgery lawyer in our office to arrange a free consultation today.