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 Kentucky, forgery is considered a serious criminal offense and is addressed under Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) Chapter 516. The law defines forgery in various degrees, with the most severe being Forgery in the First Degree (KRS 516.020), which typically involves forged instruments such as money, stamps, securities, or other items of value. The act of forgery includes creating, altering, or possessing a false document with the intent to defraud or harm another party. Uttering a forged document, which means presenting or using it as if it were genuine, is also a criminal act. The penalties for forgery in Kentucky range from fines to imprisonment, depending on the degree of the offense and the value of the items or documents involved. For instance, first-degree forgery is a Class C felony, which can result in a prison sentence of five to ten years. Lesser degrees of forgery involve less severe penalties but still carry significant legal consequences. It is important for individuals in Kentucky to understand that both the creation and the use of forged documents are illegal and can lead to criminal charges.