There are three (3) types of fraud crimes that are often charged by police and prosecutors. They are: Forgery, Issuing Bad Checks, and Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card. Fraud crimes can be felonies or misdemeanors, and oftentimes are accompanied with jail time and restitution.
Forgery
A person commits the crime of forgery if, with a purpose to defraud or knowing that he is facilitating a fraud, he alters any writing of another without authority or utters any such writing. Forgery is a class B felony if the writing is or purports to be: an instrument issued by the government; or a check, an issue of stock or bond, or any other instrument representing an interest in property or a pecuniary interest. All other forgeries are class B misdemeanors.
Issuing Bad Checks
A person commits the crime of Issuing Bad Checks if he issues or passes a check and payment is refused by the drawee, except where a valid stop payment order has been issued. This crime is a class A felony if the face amount of the check exceeds $1,000.00. It is a class B felony if the face amount of the check is greater than $500.00 but not more than $1,000.00. It is a class A misdemeanor if the face amount of the check is $500.00 or less and the person has a previous bad check conviction within 12 months. Otherwise it is a class B misdemeanor.
Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card
A person commits the crime of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card if he uses a credit card for the purposes of obtaining property or services knowing that:
- The card has been stolen
- The card has been revoked or cancelled
- The use of the credit card is unauthorized by the issuer or the person to whom the card has been issued
Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card is a class A felony if the value of the property or services obtained is greater than $1,000.00. It is a class B felony if the value of the property or services obtained is greater than $500.00 but no greater than $1,000.00. It is a class A misdemeanor in all other cases.
Fraud can be a very serious charge, and if you are charged with fraud, you need an experienced and effective criminal defense attorney to represent you immediately. Because fraud can be a felony-level charge, a person convicted of it may be sent to the New Hampshire State Prison. The criminal defense lawyers at Wilson, Bush, Durkin & Keefe have the proven record of success to defend you when you need it the most.
