Santa Ana Forgery Attorney
Santa Ana Forgery Lawyer
Mention the crime of forgery and almost immediately most individuals think of the situation where someone takes a check made out to another person and, without the payee’s knowledge and consent, wrongly endorses to it himself and then tries to cash it. Surely that is one of the most common instances of forgery; however, because many other acts are covered by this crime, should you, a family member or close friend be charged with forgery, you’ll be best served by obtaining a Criminal Defense Lawyer in Santa Ana who has extensive knowledge of California’s forgery laws. While there are an abundance of forgery lawyers in Orange County, Christopher J. McCann is the attorney for you.
California’s Forgery Law
California Penal Code Section 470, the State’s central law on forgery, makes it a crime for one who, with intent to defraud, signs the name of another person or a fictitious person to specific documents, among them, a check, bond, money order, contract for money or property, and any document meant to prove ownership, such as a real estate deed. Because intent to defraud is an element of this crime, the Santa Ana Forgery Attorney can fully comprehend this element. There have been several cases in California where, though the prosecutor has proved that a defendant falsely signed another person’s name to a document, the courts have thrown out the charge of forgery because intent to defraud was not proven. Attorney Christopher J. McCann fully understands the intricacies of forgery law, and will formulate a strong defense on your behalf.
Other California Laws On Forgery
California has several other forgery laws, in fact too many to cover. However, these are some examples of other acts that are considered forgery in the State:
- Altering, corrupting or falsifying a written document – common instances here include adding a provision to another person’s will which benefits the forger and changing the language of a court order to suit the forger’s interest;
- Signing your name to a sales slip after using another person’s credit card to purchase goods or services; and
- Falsely making a notarized statement
From the examples given, it is easy to see how one action can result in several criminal charges. For example, a person who signed a sales slip after wrongly using another person’s credit card for the purchase can be charged with both forgery and credit card fraud. Some of the other actions could also be charged as identity theft, counterfeiting and check fraud.
The possibility of facing several charges for one action is another strong reason to obtain a seasoned Criminal Defense Lawyer in Santa Ana who is thoroughly familiar with the elements of each of these laws.
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Potential Punishment
Depending on the circumstances of the forgery – such as the amount of the credit card fraud – forgery can be charged as either a misdemeanor, which is a relatively minor crime, or as a felony, which is much more serious. Convictions for forgery can lead to jail time, fines, probation and community services. Fortunately, a skilled Santa Ana Forgery Attorney will have an in-depth knowledge of whether there are strong defenses to the charge, and if not, her or she will know the best steps to take to settle a criminal charge through the process of entering a plea that is suitable to your circumstances.
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