New Jersey Criminal Defense Blog

Forgery is a serious crime that is oftentimes confused with fraud; however, forgery in New Jersey usually involves specific intent with a specific thought process, whereas fraud is characterized by a more general intent. The majority of forgery crimes occur in the workplace; be it by a company, an employee or other individual associated with a business. Additionally, anyone who possesses forged documents and is aware of their intent is susceptible to arrest and may be charged with forgery.

The definition of forgery is “the crime of falsely making or altering a writing by which the legal rights or obligations of another person are apparently affected or when a person signs a name to a document, regardless of whether or not it is the forger's own name.” If a person is convicted of New Jersey forgery, the punishment can be severe.

The penalties that correspond with a forgery conviction may include heavy fines, lengthy prison sentences, community service, and/or probation. Seeking the legal counsel of an experienced New Jersey forgery attorney would be well advised for anyone facing accusations of this type of crime. Not only will a dedicated lawyer meticulously examine every detail of your forgery case, but may be able to get your sentence reduced or the case thrown out altogether, depending on the circumstances.

If you or a loved one is facing a forgery charge in New Jersey, contact the qualified Princeton forgery defense attorneys at Lependorf & Silverstein. With nearly twenty years experience per lawyer, we have the necessary resources to ensure the best possible outcome of your New Jersey forgery case. Call 1(609) 240-0040 today to discuss your rights and options.

An article featured on NJ.com reported that a Bordentown car dealer was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for running a bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering scheme. Police officials reported that the suspect accumulated a multi-million dollar debt through his fraudulent scheme.

The suspect routinely engaged in a fraudulent activity known as “check kiting” by allegedly writing a check on one account and then depositing that amount into another, despite providing that his accounts had insufficient funds. Assistant U.S. Attorneys argued that this case requires an unavoidable prison sentence. In addition to the prison term, the suspect was to serve five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay back $6,945,096 in restitution.

In New Jersey, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering are federal crimes, however, this can occur on a state level as well. Depending on the alleged amount, writing bad checks 2C:21-5 [Check Fraud] is to be considered a serious offense and can lead to a possible jail sentence. If you or a loved one has been charged with forgery or fraudulent offense in New Jersey, you should take immediate action and hire an attorney to provide you with the benefit of a strong defense. The New Jersey criminal defense attorneys of Lependorf & Silverstein will advocate on your behalf against the serious charges that you’re facing. For your free legal consultation, contact our office at (609) 240-0040.

A 55-year-old Bridgeton man has plead guilty to forgery, after he falsified U.S. bonds worth more than $41,000. According a news report in South Jersey News Online, Rory McCafferty admitted that from May 2005 to March 2006 he forded another man’s signature, used false identification and cashed about 253 bonds at different banks in Bucks County in Pennsylvania.

He also admitted that in that time, he disposed of the remaining 156 bonds, each with a value of $36,869 because he was afraid of getting caught. McCafferty faces up to 10 years and a fine of $250,000.

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