Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog

Tennessee forgery defense attorneys know the impact a conviction for forgery can have on your life. This is why it is important to hire and experienced Tennessee criminal defense lawyer. At Baker Associates, our criminal defense lawyers have successfully represented individuals charged with forgery and other serious criminal offenses.

Forgery generally refers to the drafting of a fake document, the altering of an existing document, or the making of a signature without authorization. Documents that can be the object of forgery include:
• Contracts
• Identification cards
• Deeds and titles
• Checks
• Money Orders
Most states require that forgery be done with the intent to commit fraud or theft/larceny.

According to the Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-14-114, the offense of forgery is committed when a person “forges a writing with the intent to defraud or harm another.”
“Forge” means to (A) alter, make, complete, execute, or authenticate any writing so that it purports to 1) be the act of another who did not authorize that act; 2) have been executed at a time and place or in a numbered sequence other than was in fact the case; 3) be a copy of an original when no such original existed; (B) makes false entries in books or records; or (C) issue, transfer, register the transfer of, pass, publish, or otherwise utter a writing that is forged ….
A “writing” includes printing or any other method of recording information, money, coins, tokens stamps, seals, credit cards, badges, trademarks, and symbols of value, right, privilege or identification.
Forgery shall be no less than a Class E felony.

If you or a family member has been charged with forgery in East Tennessee, it is important to know your rights. Contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at Baker Associates in Sevierville, Knoxville, Maryville, Morristown, and Newport for your free initial consultation.