Woman Tries to Avoid Forgery Hearing With...Forged Doctor's Note

If one were to make a list of the best ways to convince a judge or that he or she is not the kind of person who should receive a harsh sentence after being convicted of forging prescriptions to obtain medication, showing up to court with a forged doctor's note in order to have the sentencing hearing reset would probably be fairly low on the list. Having seemingly exhausted all of the more favorable options, Michelle Austumian did just that at her sentencing hearing this week after she had previously entered a guilty plea to felony counts of forgery and passing a fraudulent check. Unfortunately for Ms. Austumian, the judge and prosecutor did not simply take her word for it that the doctor's note was valid and called the doctor, who informed them that the note was a forgery. After hearing this, the judge ordered Ms. Austumian to custody immediately at which point she passed out and was taken to to the hospital, where she can obtain an authentic doctor's note.

Situations like this can be avoided when an individual who has been charged with a crime retains a criminal defense attorney to help them through the process. First, such individuals can rely on their attorneys to give them realistic advice about what effect a particular action may have on their case and advise them against desperate tactics like bringing a forged note to the courtroom. Also, the attorney can work to secure the lowest possible sentence for his or her client, making the sentencing phase of trial much easier to face. Lastly, an attorney may have greater success in attempting to postpone a sentencing hearing if necessary by using professional tactics and saving the client the trouble of having to resort to such fruitless measures.

The assistance of an experienced criminal defense attorney can make the trial and sentencing process go much smoother for criminal defendants. Contact an East Tennessee criminal defense attorney to discuss your case.