Forgery and other forgery-related crimes are heavily prosecuted here in Arizona. If you are arrested and/or charged with one of the following please contact us as soon as possible as you will need a skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney to defend your rights . . .

Types of Forgery Crimes in Arizona

Forgery (ARS § 13-2002):

This statute makes the following a Class 4 Felony offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history:

• If a person with the intent to defraud falsely makes, completes or alters a written instrument;
• If a person knowingly possesses a forged instrument (this includes a forged check);
• If a person offers or presents, whether accepted or not, a forged instrument or one that contains false information.
• Note: If the forged instrument is associated with a drop house than the person will be facing a Class 3 Felony.

Criminal possession of a forgery device (ARS § 13-2003):

• A person makes or possesses with knowledge of its character and with intent to commit fraud any plate, die, or other device, apparatus, equipment, software, access device, article, material, good, property or supply specifically designed or adapted for use in forging written instruments. This is a Class 6 Felony offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history. Or;
• A person makes or possesses any device, apparatus, equipment, software, access device, article, material, good, property or supply adaptable for use in forging written instruments with intent to use it or to aid or permit another to use it for purposes of forgery. This is a Class 5 Felony offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history

Criminal simulation (ARS § 13-2004):

A person commits criminal simulation if, with intent to defraud, such person makes, alters, or presents or offers, whether accepted or not, any object so that it appears to have an antiquity, rarity, source, authorship or value that it does not in fact possess. This is a Class 6 Felony offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history.

Obtaining a signature by deception; classification (ARS § 13-2005):

A person commits obtaining a signature by deception if, with intent to defraud, such person obtains the signature of another person to a written instrument by knowingly misrepresenting or omitting any fact material to the instrument or transaction. This is a class 1 misdemeanor which can be punishable by jail time depending on the person’s criminal history.

Criminal impersonation (ARS § 13-2006):

A person commits criminal impersonation by:

1. Assuming a false identity with the intent to defraud another; or
2. Pretending to be a representative of some person or organization with the intent to defraud; or
3. Pretending to be, or assuming a false identity of, an employee or a representative of some person or organization with the intent to induce another person to provide or allow access to property.

This is a Class 4 Felony offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history.

Unlawful use of slugs (ARS § 13-2007):

A person commits unlawful use of slugs if: 1. With intent to defraud the supplier of property or a service sold or offered by means of a coin machine, such person inserts, deposits or otherwise uses a slug in such machine; or
2. Such person makes, possesses, offers for sale or disposes of a slug with intent to enable a person to use it fraudulently in a coin machine.
This is a class 2 misdemeanor offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history.

Taking identity of another person or entity (ARS § 13-2008):

A person commits taking the identity of another person or entity if the person knowingly takes, purchases, manufactures, records, possesses or uses any personal identifying information or entity identifying information of another person or entity, including a real or fictitious person or entity, without the consent of that other person or entity, with the intent to obtain or use the other person’s or entity’s identity for any unlawful purpose or to cause loss to a person or entity whether or not the person or entity actually suffers any economic loss as a result of the offense, or with the intent to obtain or continue employment.
A person commits knowingly accepting the identity of another person if the person, in hiring an employee, knowingly does both of the following:

1. Accepts any personal identifying information of another person from an individual and knows that the individual is not the actual person identified by that information.
2. Uses that identity information for the purpose of determining whether the individual who presented that identity information has the legal right or authorization under federal law to work in the United States as described and determined under the processes and procedures under 8 United States Code section 1324a.

This is a Class 6 Felony offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history.
Note: This is one of the most heavily prosecuted offenses here in Arizona and will almost always be prosecuted if there is any type of identify fraud or fraudulent identification used in the commission of the offense.

Aggravated taking identity of another person or entity (ARS § 13-2009):

A person commits aggravated taking the identity of another person or entity if the person knowingly takes, purchases, manufactures, records, possesses or uses any personal identifying information or entity identifying information of either:

1. Three or more other persons or entities, including real or fictitious persons or entities, without the consent of the other persons or entities, with the intent to obtain or use the other persons’ or entities’ identities for any unlawful purpose or to cause loss to the persons or entities whether or not the persons or entities actually suffer any economic loss.
2. Another person or entity, including a real or fictitious person or entity, without the consent of that other person or entity, with the intent to obtain or use the other person’s or entity’s identity for any unlawful purpose and causes another person or entity to suffer an economic loss of three thousand dollars or more.
3. Another person, including a real or fictitious person, with the intent to obtain employment.

B. In an action for aggravated taking the identity of another person or entity under subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section, proof of possession out of the regular course of business of the personal identifying information or entity identifying information of three or more other persons or entities may give rise to an inference that the personal identifying information or entity identifying information of the three or more other persons or entities was possessed for an unlawful purpose.
Aggravated taking the identity of another person or entity is a Class 3 Felony offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history.

Trafficking in the identity of another person or entity (ARS § 13-2010):

A person commits trafficking in the identity of another person or entity if the person knowingly sells, transfers or transmits any personal identifying information or entity identifying information of another person or entity, including a real or fictitious person or entity, without the consent of the other person or entity for any unlawful purpose or to cause loss to the person or entity whether or not the other person or entity actually suffers any economic loss, or allowing another person to obtain or continue employment.
Trafficking in the identity of another person or entity is a class 2 Felony offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history.

Admission tickets; fraudulent creation or possession (ARS § 13-2011):

It is unlawful for a person, with intent to defraud, to forge, alter or possess any ticket, token or paper that is designed for admission to or for the rendering of services by any sports, amusement, concert or other facility that offers services to the general public.
This is a class 1 misdemeanor offense which can be punishable by jail and/or prison time depending on the person’s criminal history.