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Contact a criminal defense lawyer at Meyer Van Severen, S.C. regarding your forgery case.   (414) 270-0202

Forgery and uttering a forgery are Class H felonies in Wisconsin.  If you’ve been charged with either of these criminal offenses, contact a criminal defense lawyer at Meyer Van Severen, S.C. today.  Our defense attorneys can be reached 24/7 at (414) 270-0202.

What is forgery?

Forgery is prohibited by section 943.38(1) of the Wisconsin Statutes.  Another subsection within 943.38 deals with a crime called uttering a forgery, which is a slightly different offense.  In order for the state to successfully prosecute a forgery case, three elements must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt:

  1. The document in this case was a writing by which legal rights or obligations were created or transferred.  A bank check is such a writing.
  2. The defendant falsely made or altered the check, or an endorsement on the check.  The check or endorsement must have been falsely made or altered to appear to have been made by another person, at another time, with different terms, or by authority of someone who did not give such authority.
  3. The defendant falsely made or altered the check or endorsement with intent to defraud.

The term “intent to defraud” means the defendant had the purpose to obtain property that he or she was not entitled to receive.

What is uttering a forgery?

Uttering a forgery is slightly different from forgery.  Uttering a forgery is prohibited by section 943.38(2) of the Wisconsin Statutes.  As with all criminal offenses, certain elements need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in order to sustain a conviction.  Those elements are:

  1. The document in this case was a writing by which legal rights or obligations are created or transferred.
  2. The check or endorsement was forged, that is, falsely made or altered.  The check must have been falsely made or altered to appear to have been made by another person, at another time, with different terms, or by authority of someone who really did not give such authority.
  3. The check or endorsement was uttered as genuine by the defendant.
  4. The defendant knew the check or endorsement was falsely made or uttered at the time it was presented.

“To utter a check or endorsement” simply means that the check is presented for payment, or cashed, with the representation that the check or endorsement is genuine.

Contact Meyer Van Severen, S.C. at (414) 270-0202 regarding your forgery case today.

Forgery, in the above-described situations, is a felony.  A criminal conviction stays on your record for your entire life.  The criminal defense attorneys at Meyer Van Severen believe that it’s best to attack serious convictions immediately.  Don’t want for a felony conviction to sneak back up in a few years.

Contact one of our skilled lawyers today.  Phones are answered 24/7 at (414) 270-0202.