Possession of Counterfeit Government, Public, or Corporate Seal

Posted by Law Office of Hieu Vu on June 10th, 2017

Possession of Counterfeit Government, Public, or Corporate Seal is a crime that can land you time in prison if you don’t handle it correctly. The legal definition of Possession of Counterfeit Government, Public, or Corporate Seal is possessing  a counterfeit seal. However just having a counterfeit seal is not enough to get you in trouble. In order to be charged with Possession of Counterfeit Government, Public, or Corporate Seal you have to meet 4 conditions. 1. You possessed a counterfeit seal of the state or a legally authorized officer, court of record, corporation, or that is recognized by any state, government, or country. 2. You knew that the seal was a fake or counterfeit. 3. You willfully concealed the fact that the seal was a counterfeit. and 4. When you possessed the fake seal you intended to defraud to cause loss or damages. So the first condition is self explanatory. You merely possessed a fake seal. However the next few steps are key when it comes to whether you can be charged for owning a fake seal. If you did not know that the seal was a fake then you can’t be charged. Because if you reasonably believed that it was real, you didn’t intend to commit a crime. If you owned a fake seal and intended to pass it off as a legitimate, you probably tried to hide the fact that it was a fake. However if you didn’t know that it was fake, chances are, you probably did not try to hide it either. Its important to know that no one actually has to be defrauded or suffer loss to be charged for this crime.

Punishments for Possession of Counterfeit Government, Public, or Corporate Seal

If you made a fake seal to prank your friend, its not enough to get you in trouble is a wobbler. This means it can be either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the facts of the case, and your criminal history. as a misdemeanor you can see up to a year in jail and up to a ,000 fine. As a felony you could see up to 3 years in prison and up to a ,000 fine.

Don’t try to fight a case on your own, get help from an attorney today.

Orange County DUI Attorney