Forgery is the criminal offense of making or uttering a false document or other instrument with the intent to defraud or harm someone—including a written or printed document, money, coins, tokens, stamps, checks, cashier’s checks, bonds, money orders, traveler’s checks, real property deeds, contracts, stock certificates, lottery tickets, wills, seals, credit cards, badges, trademarks, and symbols of value, right, privilege, or identification. Uttering a document means to declare—either directly or indirectly, and through words or actions—that the document is legitimate and what it purports to be.

Forging a document includes altering, making, completing, executing, or authenticating a writing so it purports (1) to be the act of another who did not authorize that act; (2) to have been executed at a time or place or in a numbered sequence other than was in fact the case; or (3) to be a copy of an original when no such original existed.

Forging a document also includes the acts of issuing, transferring, registering the transfer of, recording, passing, publishing, or otherwise uttering a document that is forged. And in some states the mere possession of a forged document with the intent to utter it constitutes forging a document.

The definitions, penalties, and punishments for the crime of forgery vary from state to state and are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code.

In Mississippi, forgery is considered a serious criminal offense under the Mississippi Code Section 97-21-59. The law defines forgery as falsely making, altering, forging, or counterfeiting certain documents or instruments with the intent to defraud or harm. This includes, but is not limited to, checks, bonds, bank bills, cashiers' checks, and other items listed in the statute. The act of uttering refers to presenting or using a forged document as if it were genuine. Mississippi law also recognizes the possession of a forged instrument with the intent to use it as a form of forgery. Penalties for forgery in Mississippi can vary depending on the specific circumstances and the value of the items involved, but it is generally treated as a felony, which can result in significant fines and imprisonment. An attorney can provide more detailed information on the potential consequences of a forgery conviction in Mississippi.