Daytona Beach Defense Lawyers Explain How to Fight Fraud and Forgery Charges

Understanding Fraud and Forgery Crimes in Florida

Under Florida law, fraud crimes involve deliberately deceiving someone for personal gain or to cause them financial harm. Forgery refers to falsely altering or manufacturing documents, records, signatures, money, or other items.

Some examples of fraud charges we routinely defend in Daytona Beach include:

• Insurance fraud – Filing false claims, staging accidents, etc.
• Mortgage fraud – Lying on loan applications, using fake documents, etc.
• Identity theft – Stealing personal information to open accounts, make purchases.
• Credit card fraud – Making unauthorized charges on stolen cards.
• Mail/wire fraud – Using mail or electronic communications to further a scheme.
• Tax fraud – Not reporting income, falsifying deductions, etc.
• Securities fraud – Spreading false information to manipulate stock prices.

Forgery charges often arise when someone:

• Signs another person’s name without permission, like on a check or legal document
• Alters details on legitimate documents, like changing dates/amounts on contracts
• Creates completely fake documents like vehicle titles, transcripts, prescriptions
• Possesses or uses counterfeit money, cards, licenses, certificates, etc.

These crimes are aggressively prosecuted, but an experienced lawyer can identify weaknesses in the prosecution’s case and build a strong defense.

Gathering Evidence and Conducting Investigations

The key to defending fraud and forgery charges is taking an aggressive approach in the investigation phase. We thoroughly examine all the evidence and dig deeper to find inconsistencies or other suspects.

For example, in this case a man obtained his deceased neighbor’s home for free using a suspicious deed transfer. Our lawyers would investigate who actually signed the deed and notarized it. We’d look for handwriting analysis or fingerprints proving our client didn’t forge the documents.

Surveillance footage, electronic records, and witness interviews can also provide evidence to contradict the prosecution’s version of events. If they claim certain documents passed through the mail, we can subpoena postal records to verify.

Bottom line – we leave no stone unturned in building your defense.

Fighting the Charges in Court

Once the evidence is collected, we employ an aggressive litigation strategy to fight the charges in court. We file motions to suppress evidence or dismiss the case if there are constitutional violations or lack of evidence.

During trial, we zealously cross-examine witnesses to expose contradictions and credibility issues. We retain respected expert witnesses to critique the prosecution’s methods or conclusions.

For example, a handwriting expert may testify that our client’s signature doesn’t match the forged documents. Or an accountant can explain how sloppy bookkeeping, not fraud, led to financial discrepancies.

If you choose to take the stand, we’ll conduct extensive preparation to ensure you deliver clear, credible testimony.

Sentencing Mitigation Strategies

If convicted despite our vigorous defense, the next step is mitigating the penalties through sentencing advocacy. We present evidence of your otherwise clean record, positive character references, mental health issues, family obligations, and other mitigating factors.

The goal is to secure probation, house arrest, community service, restitution, or other alternatives to incarceration. If jail time is unavoidable, we’ll seek the minimum sentence permitted under law.