White Collar Crime Lawyer in New York
In New York, forgery is almost always a serious offense that carries serious penalties and it’s important that you hire an experienced NY forgery defense attorney. Beyond merely altering a document or signing someone else’s name on a piece of paper with the purpose to defraud, there are various ways the law perceives forgery. Depending on how bad the offense was, you can even be charged with aggravated forgery, which has much harsher punishments, including lengthy jail terms.
As soon as you are accused with the crime, you must contact a skilled criminal defense attorney in New York for forgery. Until you have spoken with a lawyer at the Law Offices of Benjamin Greenwald, do not say anything to the police. This may be your best chance to reduce or dismiss the charges. However, a conviction can result in severe penalties.
When someone intentionally manufactures or modifies a document for their own personal gain and then uses that document to deceive or defraud another person, company, or the government, that action is known as forgery. It could be faking a report to get a contract or forging someone’s signature on a check. It’s one of the various kinds of white-collar crime that can occur in New York.
Orange County New York Attorney Defending Forgery Charges
There are many actions that could be considered forgery.
- Falsely, fraudulently altering or creating documents
- Fraudulently using seals or membership cards
- Mutilating or dissolving a document
- Even if the document was rejected, knowingly presenting a forgery document
- Possessing a forgery document
- A fraud against the state lottery
- Counterfeiting Currency
The most common charge is check forgery. The value of the check determines both the severity of the charges as well as the penalty. Important to remember that New York could add all forged checks within a six-month period to determine the total amount, which could have a significant impact on the sentencing. For example, a person who commits check fraud worth more than $35,000 could face a 20 year sentence in prison and a $100,000 penalty. A sentence of one year imprisonment and a $3,000 penalty may be possible for sums below $250.
Benjamin Greenwald will help you understand the charges and outline the possible consequences. To determine the sentencing structure, courts will usually consider what was forged and the victim. If the forged document is used to imitate an authority, the charge will be considered aggrieved. An example of this would be altering a federal record or court judgment. This would most likely lead to an aggravated offense.
In New York, impersonating a driver’s license or other official identity is normally only punishable by a gross misdemeanor; however, a felony conviction may result from repeated violations.
Working with a criminal defense lawyer with experience in federal offenses is essential if you are accused with forgery. Our forgery defense attorney at Benjamin Greenwald vigorously fights for clients to have charges reduced or even dropped.
Contact the Law Office of Benjamin Greenwald Today
The best way to protect your rights is to contact us immediately — as soon as you know that you are in trouble. This gives our NY forgery defense attorney a head start on gathering evidence.
