Forgery Attorney in Hudson County New Jersey
The offense of forgery in New Jersey can be either a fourth or third degree felony depending on the underline facts surrounding the incident. The governing statute in New Jersey for forgery is N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1. If convicted of forgery in Hudson County, a defendant could face up to five years in a State prison, fined up to $15,000, scared with permanent criminal record and forced to pay restitution to the victim(s). As you can tell these are very serious charges and require the assistance of veteran Hudson County NJ forgery defense lawyer. The Law Office of Jonathan F. Marshall has the experience and knowledge required to successfully protect your liberty. Our office has been defending individual’s charged with forgery, possession of a fake id, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and bad checks in towns like Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen, Union City, Bayonne and West New York for over fifteen years. If you would like to discuss your matter in further depth, please contact our Jersey City office at (201) 309-1800. Our attorneys are available 24/7 to answer any questions you might have. Now here is some important information on the offense of forgery in Jersey City.
Jersey City NJ Forgery Defense Lawyer: N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1
As previously stated, the governing statute in New Jersey for forgery is N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1. Pursuant to the statute, a defendant is guilty of forgery in the fourth degree if, with the purpose to defraud or injury anyone, or with the knowledge that they were facilitating a fraud or injury to be perpetrated by anyone, the actor:
- Altered any writing of another without their approval; or
- Makes, completes, executes, authenticates or otherwise transfers any writing without the true owners approval; or
- Utters any writing which he or she knows to be forged in a manner specified above.
In addition, if it is concluded that the defendant forged a check, money, stamps, stocks, prescription blanks, 15 or more retail sale receipts or they actually possessed a forgery device at the time of their arrest, they will be convicted of a third degree felony rather than a fourth degree felony.
Will I go to jail if I am convicted of Forgery in NJ?
Forgery can be either a fourth or third degree felony. If convicted, of a fourth degree felony in New Jersey a defendant could be sentenced up to eighteen (18) months in a State prison and fined up to $10,000. Conversely, if convicted of a third degree felony, a defendant could be sentenced up to five (5) years in a State prison and fined up to $15,000. With that being said, since the offense of forgery can only be either a third or fourth degree felony, if the defendant has no prior criminal record, there is a presumption that if convicted the defendant should be given a presumption against non incarceration. However, if the facts are egregious, that presumption may be overcome and the defendant may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Lastly, depending on the facts of the case and the defendant’s prior criminal record, defense counsel may be eligible to convince the prosecution that the defendant deserves an opportunity to participate in the Pretrial Intervention Program.
Hudson County Forgery Defense Lawyer
The team of Hudson County, NJ forgery defense lawyers at the Law Office of Jonathan F. Marshall have the skill set and experience to successfully represent your interests. Our office has eight Jersey City forgery attorneys on staff, which makes our office one of the largest criminal defense firms in the entire State let alone Hudson County. We have been representing defendant’s charged with forgery, credit card theft, possession of a fake id, prescription fraud, in towns like Harrison, Secaucus, Bayonne, Jersey City and Weehawken for over a decade. If you would like to set up a free initial consultation with any one of our eight Hudson County criminal defense lawyers, please contact our Jersey City office directly at (201) 309-1800.
