All to often people forget that possessing a fake id is against the law. Under the New Jersey criminal code, possession of a fake id is generally going to be considered a disorderly persons (misdemeanor) offense. Although, as you will see below, possessing a fake id can turn into a felony offenses as well. Defendant’s charged with possessing a fake id in Morris County may also find themselves facing disorderly conduct, underage possession of alcohol, underage consumption of alcohol, driving while intoxicated and endangering the welfare of a child charges as well. Our office has eight criminal defense lawyers on staff, all of which are equipped to handle these types of charges. Our office has extensive experience representing clients charged with possession of a fake id in courts throughout Morris County in towns like Madison, Morristown, Montville, Morris Township, Parsippany, Dover and Rockaway. If you would like to discuss your options with any one our attorneys then please contact our Morristown office at 973.309.7050. Our attorneys are available 24/7 to help assist in any way possible. Now here is some key information on the offense of possessing a fake id in Morris County.
Fake ID: N.J.S.A. 2C:28-7
Madison NJ Fake Id Possession Lawyers
As stated above, possession of a fake id is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:28-7, which states in pertinent part,
Tampering with public records or information.
a. Offense defined. A person commits an offense if he:
(1)Knowingly makes a false entry in, or false alteration of, any record, document or thing belonging to, or received or kept by, the government for information or record, or required by law to be kept by others for information of the government;
(2)Makes, presents, offers for filing, or uses any record, document or thing knowing it to be false, and with purpose that it be taken as a genuine part of information or records referred to in paragraph (1); or
(3)Purposely and unlawfully destroys, conceals, removes, mutilates, or otherwise impairs the verity or availability of any such record, document or thing.
b. Grading. An offense under subsection a. is a disorderly persons offense unless the actors purpose is to defraud or injure anyone, in which case the offense is a crime of the third degree.
c. A person commits a crime of the fourth degree if he purposely and unlawfully alters, destroys, conceals, removes or disables any camera or other monitoring device including any videotape, film or other medium used to record sound or images that is installed in a patrol vehicle.
Typically, possession of a Fake Id is a disorderly persons offense. Which means, if convicted, a defendant faces up to six months in the Morris County Jail, a fine up to $1,000, community service and a criminal record. With that being said, if a defendant is charged with the fourth degree felony version they are facing up to eighteen months in a State Prison, a fine up to $10,000, community service and a felony criminal record. Furthermore, if a defendant is charged with the third degree felony version they are facing up to five years in a State Prison, a fine up to $15,000, community service and felony criminal record as well.
There are two diversionary programs in New Jersey that an experienced defense counsel might be able to get a defendant enrolled in. They are the conditional dismissal and pretrial intervention program. Both programs will place the defendant on a probationary period and if they complete that period without violating any of the terms, the charges against them will be outright dismissed. For more information on these programs, please checkout our practice areas on each by clicking here for PTI and here for conditional dismissal.
Parsippany NJ Fake ID Possession Attorneys
The Law Office of Jonathan F. Marshall is an experienced Morris County criminal defense firm. With over 200 years of combined experience on staff, including years of prior prosecuting experience, our team has the tools for a successful representation. If you have been charged with an offense in Morris County in towns like Harding, Pequannock, Montville, Boonton, Mountain Lakes, Jefferson or Netcong, we can help. To schedule a free consultation today, please contact our office directly at 973.309.7050.