The charge of counterfeiting monetary instrument can involve the production of any false currency or items which are used in place of currency . This can include checks, promissory notes, money orders, and securities or stocks in bearer form. It is illegal to produce, possess or spend counterfeit items, though it is not necessarily a crime to spend false money if you are unaware that it is counterfeit. It is also illegal to manufacture, possess, or sell equipment or materials for use in counterfeiting.
Counterfeiting laws sharply restrict photographs or other printed reproductions of paper currency, checks, and securities of the United States. It is legal to reproduce illustrated likenesses of currency when the reproductions conform to the stringent restrictions on size, color, and the destruction of production materials after use.
Counterfeiting laws are policed by the Secret Service, a law enforcement agency that most people associate primarily with protecting the President and other dignitaries. It was originally organized to combat the counterfeiting of American money. Recent steady increases in counterfeiting led to Congress passing laws to increase penalties and strengthen the paper money supply by making it harder to counterfeit. The watermark and the use of color-shifting inks make the currency virtually impossible to reproduce with current printer technology.
Counterfeiting Charges
Counterfeiting is a federal felony, and conviction can result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years. This is in addition to punitive fines, the confiscation of any property used for counterfeiting, paying restitution, and a permanent criminal record. There are less severe penalties which may be meted out for the mere possession of false monetary instruments, or passing of false money.
Contact the Law Offices of Geoffrey G. Nathan
If you stand accused of counterfeiting, attorney Nathan offers you his years of experience to give you your best chance of staying out of federal prison. He has a proven track record of negotiating with FBI and Secret Service agents in counterfeiting cases, to preclude federal indictments. Do not gamble with your freedom; take advantage of the best criminal defense available. Contact a Boston counterfeiting lawyer at the Law Offices of Geoffrey G. Nathan today.