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 Pennsylvania, forgery is defined under Title 18, Section 4101 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. The offense encompasses the creation, alteration, or use of a false written document with the intent to defraud or injure another party. This includes documents such as checks, contracts, identification cards, and legal certificates. The act of uttering refers to offering a forged document as genuine, and in Pennsylvania, both creating and using forged documents are criminal acts. The severity of the offense can range from a misdemeanor to a felony, depending on factors such as the type of document involved and the intent behind the forgery. For example, forging government-issued documents or legal instruments typically results in more severe charges. Penalties for forgery in Pennsylvania can include fines, restitution, and imprisonment. The mere possession of a forged document with the intent to use it can also constitute a forgery offense in the state.