Being charged with forgery in Fort Worth, Texas, puts your reputation, your job, and even your freedom on the line.
These cases often involve accusations of falsifying a signature, a financial document, or trying to use fake paperwork for personal gain. If you’re under investigation or have already been charged, knowing what steps to take next makes a real difference.
Cofer Luster Criminal Defense Lawyers can offer answers and help protect a defendant’s rights. Call us at (682) 777-3336 today to schedule an initial consultation with our Fort Worth forgery lawyers.
Why Hire Cofer Luster Criminal Defense Lawyers If You’re Arrested for Forgery in Fort Worth, TX?
When you are facing a forgery charge in Fort Worth, TX, you need legal representatives who know how to see the angles that others may overlook.
Cofer Luster Criminal Defense Lawyers sets itself apart in many ways:
- Our attorneys bring 60 years of combined experience to every criminal defense case
- Hundreds of people defended in local, state, and federal courts
- Several attorneys with board certification in criminal law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
- Our team is composed of former prosecutors, a former public defender, a former magistrate judge, and a law professor, offering perspectives from all sides of the courtroom
When you work with us on charges you’re facing in Fort Worth, you’re never alone. We can use our firm’s legal knowledge and firsthand experience to help you at every step. Contact us today to speak with a Fort Worth criminal defense lawyer and learn more about how we can help you.
Overview of Forgery in Texas
Forgery laws in Texas cover a range of actions against many different types of documents. In general, forgery happens when someone creates, changes, uses, or keeps a fake or altered document with the purpose of tricking or hurting another person or business.
Examples of forgery include:
- Creating a new fake document from scratch
- Changing material details on a real document, like the date, amount, or name
- Using or passing off a document you know is fake as if it were real
- Keeping a fake document with clear plans to use it for personal gain
Texas law treats almost anything considered a “writing” as possible for forgery. This can be checks, contracts, identification cards, credit cards, money, government paperwork, or anything else used to represent value, identity, or legal rights. The core of this crime is intent. To be convicted, a person must intend to deceive or cause harm by interacting with a fake or altered document.
What Are the Penalties for a Forgery Conviction in Fort Worth, Texas?
The penalties for forgery in Fort Worth generally depend on the type of document forged, how it was used, and whether money or property was lost or stolen.
Forgery of Everyday Writings
When forgery involves regular documents (like contracts or receipts) and does not deal with money, securities, stamps, or government records, it is usually prosecuted as a Class A misdemeanor. This carries up to one year in jail and up to a $4,000 fine.
Forgery of Money, Checks, or Government Records
If fake or altered items involve things like money, government-issued checks, stocks, bonds, or other government records, the offense jumps to a state jail felony. Penalties include between 180 days and two years in state jail, plus up to a $10,000 fine.
Forgery Leading to Large Financial Losses
If the forged item is used in a situation that causes losses greater than $2,500, the penalty level rises in seriousness. Those accused might be charged with a felony, subject to longer prison sentences and higher fines.
Additionally, when forgery is committed against older adults (age 65 or over) or certain nonprofit organizations, potential penalties, including prison time and fines, may be increased.
Our Fort Worth forgery attorneys can help you understand the specific charges you’re facing and the potential consequences.
What Defenses Can Be Raised If I’m Arrested for Forgery?
Being arrested for forgery is scary, but there are always possible defenses that can be raised by our Fort Worth criminal defense attorneys.
Commonly used defenses include:
- Lack of Intent to Defraud: You must have meant to trick or harm someone. If you made a mistake but had no goal to deceive, it’s not forgery.
- Mistaken Identity: Sometimes, people are wrongly accused because they happen to be near forged documents or because their name is mentioned in paperwork.
- Consent or Authorization: If you had the right to use or alter the document, you’re not committing forgery.
- False Accusation: It is surprisingly common for people under stress or business partners to blame others for actions, especially in money disputes.
- Insufficient Evidence: If the police or state don’t have enough solid proof linking you to the document or proving it wasn’t authentic, they can’t get a conviction.
- Entrapment: If law enforcement pressured or convinced you into committing forgery when you normally wouldn’t have, an entrapment defense could apply.
- Lack of Knowledge: If you unknowingly possessed or used a fake item created by someone else. Without clear knowledge, the main element for forgery is missing.
Our goal is to thoroughly examine the details of your case to find the strongest path forward, whether that means plea negotiation or fighting for a full dismissal or acquittal in court.
Schedule an Initial Case Evaluation Today With Our Fort Worth Forgery Lawyers
The outcome of a forgery case depends on the results of highly detailed investigations. Technical evidence, intent, and even paperwork errors can all play a role in your defense. Cofer Luster Criminal Defense Lawyers can challenge each part of a prosecutor’s case to try to fight back and beat the charges you’re facing.
Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation with a Fort Worth forgery attorney and learn more about your legal rights and options.
