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 Virginia, forgery is considered a serious criminal offense under Virginia Code § 18.2-172. The law defines forgery as the act of creating, altering, forging, or uttering a false document or other instrument with the intent to defraud. This includes a wide range of items such as written documents, money, checks, contracts, and identification cards, among others. The act of uttering involves presenting or using a forged document as if it were genuine. The definition of forgery in Virginia also encompasses the alteration or falsification of a document in such a way that it appears to be something it is not, such as the work of another person, executed at a different time or place, or representing a copy of a non-existent original. The possession of a forged document with the intent to use it can also be considered forgery. Penalties for forgery in Virginia can be severe and may include imprisonment and fines, with the specific punishment depending on the nature of the offense and the value of the forged item. Forgery is typically classified as a Class 5 felony in Virginia, which can result in a term of imprisonment and substantial fines.