Not all felony charges involve physical violence. In Baton Rouge and jurisdictions through the United States a person can face serious long-term consequences for alleged criminal acts that they did not even know they were committing or intending to pursue. One such charge is forgery, and this post will explore what is required for such an allegation to be made by criminal prosecutors.
In its most basic form a forgery charge involves some form of deceit. Generally the deceit relates to creation, modification or authentication of a document or form. Forgery can involve making a contract for another person that the maker was not authorized to produce, changing a document without the consent of others who will be bound to it or signing an agreement for someone without their permission.
Because there may be legitimate reasons for individuals to take any of these actions, the criminal charge of forgery must include proof that the person meant or intended to deceive others for their gain by committing the forgery. Without deception, or moreover with permission from an authority to take such action, a person may not be convicted on this felony charge.
Forgeries may be committed with both physical paper-based documents and electronic agreements and correspondence. With the click of a mouse or the sweep of a pen a person may commit forgery, though as stated previously if they do not intend to deceive anyone or are not intent on committing the crime then it may be more difficult for prosecutors to prove their charges.
Just as crimes involving physical violence can include strict sentences for those convicted on such charges, so too may people convicted of forgery experience serious consequences. Defenses to forgery charges may exist in specific cases, so readers who are confronting similar felony matters can speak with a criminal defense lawyer about their defense strategy options.