Counterfeiting is defined as creating fake money, certificates or negotiable instruments in order to exchange it for cash and may be charged as a federal crime. Counterfeiting involves the use of a false document or signature that was created or altered in order to deceive the victim for pecuniary gain.
Counterfeiting and Trademark Infringement Criminal Defense Attorney in Federal Courts of Los Angeles Pasadena Van Nuys and Southern California Courts
Counterfeiting of documents
This is the process of making documents with the intention to deceive another person or an entity. Counterfeiting is a form of fraud, and is often the technique used by those who commit identity theft. Under United States laws forgery is referred to as uttering a false document or publishing a counterfeit document.
Expert examination of a questionable document may be requested by a skilled defense attorney to investigate its possible authenticity or suspected forgery. Although new security printing procedures make it extremely difficult to created forged government documents, identify theft and forged documents are still on the rise and not uncommon.
Counterfeiting consumer goods
Naturally, expensive consumer goods, especially desirable brands are frequently targets of counterfeiting. A counterfeiter either attempts to deceive the consumer into thinking they are purchasing a legitimate item, or convince the consumer that they could deceive others with the imitation. An item that doesn’t attempt to deceive, such as a copy of a DVD with missing or different cover art, is often called a “bootleg” or a “pirated copy” instead.
Defenses to Counterfeiting
A common defense to counterfeiting is that the defendant had no knowledge of the fact that the money or instrument he used was counterfeit. If a conspiracy charge is also brought, the defendant can assert that another person created and handed to him the paper image of money or a counterfeit document without informing him of the nature of what was done. If used in a transaction with the bank, the defendant may assert that he did not intend to deceive the bank and that he believed he was being engaged in a normal transaction using genuine documents. For a free consultation, CALL NOW 213-252-1000
Criminal prosecution can affect your health, freedom, employment, and social life. You need help and you need the best criminal defense you can get. At the Law Offices of Tony M. Seyfi, with the state of the art computerized legal research tools and forensic techniques, we will focus on identifying the defenses you may have and will develop numerous challenges to any crime possible.
Our goal is victory for our clients and to keep them from going to jail, and we are confident of our defense strategies. If you would like to discuss your case, call us today for a FREE CONSULTATION and case analysis.
