Does a prosecutor have to prove I signed a check in a Utah forgery case?

If you are charged with forgery in Utah, there are several different theories under which a prosecutor may pursue the prosecution.  The stereotypical forgery case involves a person who fraudulently signed someone else's name to a document or created a fake document.  But many Utah forgery prosecutions involve people who did neither of those things.  An experienced Utah criminal defense attorney can help you determine the best strategy for defending your case.

Utah's forgery statute casts a broad net, covering anyone who, with the intent to defraud, makes, completes, executes, authenticates, issues, transfers, publishes, utters, or alters any writing so that such action purports to be the act of another.  Under this statute, you can be charged with forgery even if you never signed anything.  Simply passing a bad check, without an innocent explanation of how you got the check and why you believed it was legitimate, can lead to a felony forgery charge.

Under Utah's criminal law, forgery is a third degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.  Often a prosecutor will file an additional charge of theft by deception if something of value is received as a result of the forgery.

Based in Salt Lake City, criminal attorney Stephen Howard has defended thousands of serious felony charges during his career.  His experience defending forgery cases includes victory at trial, dismissals prior to trial, and negotiating misdemeanor probation resolutions for clients who chose not to take their cases to trial.  If you are facing prosecution for forgery or other crimes in Utah, you deserve an experienced criminal defense lawyer with a record of real results.

Contact us now to schedule you initial consultation.  See what experience can do for you.