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 Nebraska, forgery is defined under Nebraska Revised Statute 28-602 and is treated as a serious criminal offense. The law encompasses the creation, alteration, or use of a false document with the intent to defraud. This includes, but is not limited to, written documents, money, checks, contracts, legal certificates, and credit cards. The act of uttering a forged document, which means presenting or using it as genuine, is also considered forgery. The specific actions that constitute forgery in Nebraska align with the general description provided, such as making or altering a document to appear as if it was made by someone else, at a different time, or as a copy of a non-existent original. The penalties for forgery in Nebraska can vary depending on the circumstances and the value of the loss caused by the forgery, but it is generally classified as a felony offense. The mere possession of a forged document with the intent to use it can also be prosecuted. An attorney can provide more detailed information on the potential consequences of a forgery conviction in Nebraska.