USA - Counterfeit Instruments - Federal Law

[Aeval]

United States Code
Title 18
Part I
Chapter 25

http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title18/parti_chapter25_.html

[joewein]

More specifically, section 513 (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+18USC513), which reads:

Sec. 513. Securities of the States and private entities

(a) Whoever makes, utters or possesses a counterfeited security of a
State or a political subdivision thereof or of an organization, or
whoever makes, utters or possesses a forged security of a State or
political subdivision thereof or of an organization, with intent to
deceive another person, organization, or government shall be fined under
this title \1\ or imprisoned for not more than ten years, or both.


Note the important qualifier "with intent to deceive".

Possession is not illegal per se (as it is for unlicensed possession of "controlled substances", for example). The question is how this intent will be determined by the court. This is why it's important to document how one was scammed.

[Aeval]

The law in reference to forged instruments is spread all around the code, as Saturn Girl noted earlier. I'm sure one beautiful day I will be able to put all the sections together...:)