The crime of forgery is prosecuted as a serious offense under the Idaho Criminal Code, so punishments for forgery can be extreme. If you face forgery charges, you need help from an experienced Idaho criminal defense lawyer to protect all your rights and help build a winning case for your defense. You must not attempt to defend yourself in a forgery case in Idaho. Sometimes, an experienced defense lawyer with a deep understanding of forgery law and familiarity with the Idaho court system can negotiate to have charges dropped entirely or significantly reduced.

If you have been charged with forgery, you will need help from the best forgery lawyer Boise Idaho has available to you.

Call the Expert Forgery Defense Lawyers in Idaho

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What is Forgery?

The Idaho forgery definition involves various ways the crime is committed. It is a forgery to knowingly and intentionally create a false legal or financial document, or other instrument, or item of value, or to alter an existing item of one of these kinds, and use it to deceive defrauding another person or group. It’s also forgery to transfer such an item created or altered by someone else to another person.

Fraud is a crime closely related to forgery, and if you are charged with either offense you should have a clear understanding of the differences.

Types of Forgery

Here are some of the most common types of forgeries that occur in Idaho:

  • Personal checks, government checks, credit card transactions, contracts, signatures, driver’s licenses, ID cards, financial or legal documents.
  • Replications of paintings, sculptures, and other artworks, stamps, coins, and other money.
  • Knowingly and intentionally passing along forged documents being transferred to another person or group of people.

Even if you are not the person who originally forged a document, painting, etc., you can be convicted of forgery if the prosecutor can prove that you intentionally attempted to provide the forged item to another person with the intent to deceive and defraud someone.

Forgery Punishment in Idaho

If you are convicted, depending on the specifics of your case, you can receive penalties for forgery in Idaho that may include one or more of the following:

  • Prison time from a minimum of one year to a maximum of 14 years.
  • Enormous fines of many thousands of dollars depending on your case.
  • Pay restitution to the victims

If the crime occurred in your workplace, as most forgeries do, you might face additional charges regarding illegal business practices.

You will also have a permanent criminal record of a forgery conviction. That means that your professional reputation is likely to be damaged irreparably, which can cause extreme difficulties for you in finding future employment in your desired field. It can also make it hard to obtain a loan, buy a property, or rent a home.

What To Do If You Have Been Accused of Forgery?

As you can see from the above information, if you are facing forgery charges in Idaho, being convicted can have an extreme permanent impact on your life. So, you need to work with an experienced forgery defense lawyer who knows how to build the best possible case for your defense and who will fight for your freedom.

You also need an attorney with full familiarity with the Idaho court system, to ensure that you follow all the rules of the system, as necessary to avoid damaging or even potentially losing your case due to inappropriate handling of matters in the legal process.

Best Forgery Defense Lawyer in Boise, Idaho  

Sawtooth Defense Lawyers have been successfully defending people in Idaho on forgery charges and other criminal charges for many years. Depending on the circumstances, in some cases, we may be able to have the charges in your case dropped completely or significantly reduced.

Our deep research and aggressive strategy have enabled us to provide the strongest case possible for our clients over the years. If you have been accused of forgery in Idaho, let’s see what we can do to help you too.

For forgery defense in Idaho, call Sawtooth Defense Lawyers at (208) 644-8893, or contact us here online to schedule an appointment to discuss the details of your situation.