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 Utah, forgery is defined under Utah Code § 76-6-501 and is considered a serious offense. The law encompasses the creation, alteration, or possession of a false document with the intent to defraud someone. This includes a wide range of items such as written documents, money, checks, contracts, legal certificates, and identification cards. The act of uttering a forged document, which means presenting or using it as if it were genuine, is also covered under this statute. The specific actions that constitute forgery in Utah include making, altering, or authenticating a writing to represent the act of someone else without authorization, to appear as if it was executed at a different time or place, or to be a copy of an original that doesn't exist. The mere possession of a forged document with the intent to use it can also be considered forgery. Penalties for forgery in Utah can vary, but it is generally classified as a third-degree felony, which can result in substantial fines and imprisonment. The exact punishment for a forgery conviction depends on the circumstances of the case and the value of the fraud involved.