Forgery in Louisiana

Forgery in Louisiana

Forgery is a felony criminal charge in Louisiana that carries up to 10 years in prison. If you have been charged recently with forgery and you feel that you are flat busted or that you have a defense, then our lawyers can help you. It doesn’t matter if you have a poor case to defend or a great case, our defense law firm is here to help everyone, no matter what.  

Definition of Forgery in Louisiana Under La. RS 14:72

A.  It shall be unlawful to forge, with intent to defraud, any signature to, or any part of, any writing purporting to have legal efficacy.

B.  Issuing, transferring, or possessing with intent to defraud, a forged writing, known by the offender to be a forged writing, shall also constitute a violation of the provisions of this Section.

C.  For purposes of this Section:

(1)  “Forge” means the following:

(a)  To alter, make, complete, execute, or authenticate any writing so that it purports:

(i)  To be the act of another who did not authorize that act;

(ii)  To have been executed at a time or place or in a numbered sequence other than was in fact the case; or

(iii)  To be a copy of an original when no such original existed.

(b)  To issue, transfer, register the transfer of, pass, publish, or otherwise utter a writing that is forged in accordance with the meaning of Subparagraph (1)(a).

(c)  To possess a writing that is forged within the meaning of Subparagraph (1)(a).

(2)  “Writing” means the following:

(a)  Printing or any other method of recording information;

(b)  Money, coins, tokens, stamps, seals, credit cards, badges, and trademarks; and

(c)  Symbols of value, right, privilege, or identification.

What Must the Prosecutor Prove?

They need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you intentionally created a fake document or that you had someone produce it.

What are the Penalties for Forgery?

The penalties are serious. If you are arrested, charged, and convicted for committing the crime of forgery, you shall be fined less than five thousand dollars and could be imprisoned without or with hard labor for less than ten years. One could get both sentences for a crime of forgery. 

Forgery is a crime that allows for probation if the judge decides to go that route. Many judges get very angry at defendants convicted of forgery and sentence them to prison time. Also, having a forgery conviction on your record even if you get probation can be devastating to obtaining employment, renting housing, obtaining student loans, etc.

Forgery Defense Lawyers in Louisiana

Our forgery defense lawyers in Louisiana know how to protect our clients from prison time and preserve their criminal record the best way possible. Regardless of where in Louisiana you were arrested for forgery, we can help since we have offices in Shreveport, New Orleans, and Covington. Check out our locations page for more details.