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 Colorado, forgery is defined under Colorado Revised Statutes Title 18 Criminal Code, Section 18-5-102. The law considers forgery a felony offense, which involves the intent to defraud by falsely making, completing, altering, or uttering a written instrument. This includes a wide range of documents and items such as money, stamps, securities, and legal contracts. The act of uttering involves presenting or using a forged document as if it were genuine. The severity of the offense in Colorado can range from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 2 felony, depending on factors such as the type of document forged and the intent behind the forgery. For instance, forging legal or government-issued documents typically results in more severe charges. Additionally, possessing a forged instrument with the intent to use it can also constitute forgery. Penalties for forgery in Colorado can include fines, restitution, and imprisonment, with the exact punishment depending on the specifics of the offense and the defendant's criminal history.