{"id":372748,"date":"2016-09-30T16:17:05","date_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/georgia-law\/georgia-forgery-laws.html"},"modified":"2018-03-21T18:38:00","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T23:38:00","slug":"georgia-forgery-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/georgia-law\/georgia-forgery-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Forgery Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Georgia Forgery Laws<\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last updated\n

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Forgery is a crime that involves the production or alteration of a document used to deceive someone. Forged checks, identification cards, contracts, or works of art have been used in a variety of schemes to defraud<\/a> others. Georgia forgery laws punish the production, possession, and utterance of forged documents.<\/p>\n

Intent Issues<\/h2>\n

Only those intentionally<\/a> using forgeries are punished. If, for example, you purchased a forged concert ticket thinking it was genuine you would not be guilty of forgery. On the other hand, if you purchased a ticket knowing it was forged and got caught with it, or got caught trying to pass it off, you would be guilty of forgery, even if you weren’t involved in producing the fake.<\/p>\n\n
Statute<\/b><\/td>\nGeorgia Code, Title 16, Chapter 9, Forgery and Fraudulent Practices<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>
Degrees of Forgery<\/b><\/td>\n

Georgia forgery laws punish a person who, with intent to defraud:<\/p>\n

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  • Forgery in the First Degree:<\/b> knowingly makes, alters, or possesses any writing other than a check in a fictitious name or allegedly made by another person who did not give that authority, that they then utter or deliver.<\/li>\n
  • Forgery in the Second Degree:<\/b> knowingly makes, alters, or possesses any writing other than a check in a fictitious name or allegedly made by another person who did not give that authority.<\/li>\n
  • Forgery in the Third Degree:<\/b><\/li>\n
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    • knowingly makes, alters, or possesses and utters or delivers any check in the amount of $1,500 or more in a fictitious name or allegedly made by another person who did not give that authority; or<\/li>\n
    • possesses ten or more checks written without specified amounts in a fictitious name or allegedly made by another person who did not give that authority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Forgery in the Fourth Degree:<\/b><\/li>\n
      • \n
      • knowingly makes, alters, possesses, utters, or delivers any check written in the amount of less than $1,500 in a fictitious name or allegedly made by another person who did not give that authority; or<\/li>\n
      • possesses less than ten checks written without specified amounts in a fictitious name or allegedly made by another person who did not give that authority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>
Penalties<\/b><\/td>\n

Georgia forgery laws are punished as follows:<\/p>\n