Legal Definitions - Uttering

In legal terms, Uttering refers to the act of presenting a forged or counterfeit item as if it were legitimate, with the specific intention of deceiving another person for personal gain or to cause them a loss. It's important to note that uttering does not involve the act of creating the forgery itself, but rather the act of using or attempting to use a known forged item.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a person attempting to purchase groceries at a supermarket using a twenty-dollar bill that they know is counterfeit. By handing over the fake currency to the cashier, they are presenting a forged instrument (the counterfeit bill) as genuine, with the intent to defraud the store by obtaining goods without valid payment. This action constitutes uttering.

• Consider an individual who tries to deposit a check into their bank account, fully aware that the check's signature has been fraudulently created and that the account it's drawn from does not belong to the purported signer. When they present this forged check to the bank teller for deposit, they are uttering a forged instrument with the intent to illegally obtain funds from the bank or the account holder.

• Suppose a job applicant submits a resume to a potential employer, attaching a copy of a university diploma that they know is fake and was never legitimately earned. By presenting this fraudulent document as proof of their qualifications to secure employment, they are uttering a forged instrument (the fake diploma) with the intent to defraud the employer into hiring them under false pretenses.