Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer

 

As an attorney specializing in white collar criminal defense in Dallas, Henry Wade of The Wade Law Firm, understands both state and federal criminal laws and walks his clients through the entire process of fighting their cases, from negotiating pleas to preparing for trial. With over 20 years of experience in law, Wade has helped defend clients faced with chargers of theft, homicide, drug possession and forgery.

 

Common Examples of Forgery

Criminally altering a document in any way to change its authenticity, and then knowingly trying to use that changed document as the genuine original is legally considered forgery. For example:

 

If you sign another person’s name to a check without authorization, with the intent of using it for your own purposes

 

If you sign a name on the back of another person’s check in order to receive the money for yourself

 

Changing the details of a document, such as a deed, and then signing the altered deed and presenting it as an original

 

Creating a legal document, like a marriage or death certificate, under someone else’s name or a fabricated name

 

State or Federal Crime

Forgery is charged on the state level in most cases, and each state has its own set of laws and guidelines for prosecuting the crime. Even if you failed to gain anything as a result of the forgery, but the intent was there, you can still be charged. In Texas, if you are in possession of fraudulent documents, or have forged a check, it is considered a state felony, and you can be sentenced to up to two years in prison and fined up to $10,000. It is comparable to theft of something valued $15,000 to $20, 000 and the unauthorized use of a vehicle.

 

If the forged documents are sent via the United States post office, then it can possibly be considered mail fraud, which is a federal crime. Using the means of the U.S. Postal Service to further a fraudulent scheme, such as mailing false documents to an insurance company, is considered mail fraud. If charged with the crime, you can be indicted by the United States Attorney’s Office and can be forced to pay fines, spend up to 20 years in prison, or both.

 

Two Real Life Examples

In October of 2005, Jonathan Mattocks was arrested in Manhattan for picking up pay-per-ride MetroCards, which are used to gain access to the city’s subways, bending the magnetic strip that holds the value of the card, and charging riders $1 to pass through the turnstiles using the cards. It was a trait of the cards that, if you bent the magnetic strip, you can get a one-time free ride because the turnstiles could not determine that the card had no value if the strip was tampered with. In April of 2009, the New York Times reported that Mattocks would be charged with forgery because he was altering the cards to read that they were still of value, when in fact they weren’t.

 

In 1972, the autobiography of Howard Hughes was set for release. Howard Hughes was a multi-millionaire businessman, aviator and acclaimed producer of films like The Outlaw and Scarface, who at that time had not appeared in public in over a decade because of a serious illness that made him too weak. It turned out however, that Hughes did not pen the book, but, Clifford Irving did. Irving had no contact with Hughes or any of his family members, and completely fabricated the entire book. After being convicted of forgery for trying to make a profit by selling the book of someone else’s life without permission, and disguising himself as Hughes for the purpose of writing the book, Irving was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

 

Any criminal charge brought against you is a serious matter that should not be handled on your own. So if you are accused of a crime, you need an experienced defense attorney on your side who knows the severity of your situation.

 

This article is for informational purposes only.  You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.  Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.

 

Originally published here.

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Strategies for Defending DWI Cases in Texas an authoritative, insider’s perspective on the best practices for mounting a defense against DWI charges in the state of Texas. Featuring partners and shareholders from some of the state’s leading defense firms, these experts guide the reader through the most successful techniques for defending your client against a DWI charge, including selecting the jury, questioning test result validity, and investigating the arresting officer’s administration of the field sobriety tests. Emphasizing the difference between DUI charges and DWI charges in Texas, the authors examine the unique challenges of DWI law in this state and offer advice on overcoming these obstacles. From understanding the various levels of DWI offense charges and preparing a client to appear in court to deciding when settlement is the best option, these experts illustrate the strategizing process a Texas defense attorney must go through in order to best serve his or her client. The different niches represented and the breadth of perspectives presented enable readers to get inside some of the great legal minds of today, as these experienced lawyers offer up their thoughts around the keys to navigating this complex area of law. Inside the Minds provides readers with proven business intelligence from C-Level executives (Chairman, CEO, CFO, CMO, Partner) from the world’s most respected companies nationwide, rather than third-party accounts from unknown authors and analysts. Each chapter is comparable to an essay/thought leadership piece and is a future-oriented look at where an industry, profession, or topic is headed and the most important issues for the future. Through an exhaustive selection process, each author was hand-picked by the Inside the Minds editorial board to author a chapter for this book. Chapters Include: 1. Rick Hagen, Partner, Jackson & Hagen – “The DWI Court Process through Football Strategy” 2. J. Brett Harrison and F.R. (Buck) Files Jr., Partners, Bain, Files, Jarrett, Bain and Harrison PC – “DWI Myths and Reality” 3. John H. Cook IV, Founding Partner, Cook & Cantacuzene PC – “Mounting the Right Defense for Your Case: 4. Cameron D. Reynolds, Partner, James and Reynolds Law Firm – “Understanding Good Strategizing Techniques” 5. Doug Weathers, Partner, Hendricks, Weathers & Jefferson PC – “The DWI Charge: A Texas Defense Attorney’s Guide to a Common Offense”

Strategies for Defending DWI Cases in Texas: Leading Lawyers on Understanding DWI and DUI Charges, Analyzing Test Results, and Developing Negotiation Strategies (Inside the Minds)