Legal Question in Criminal Law in Alabama

Re: N w n i

NWNI stands for Negotiating a Worthless Negotiable Instrument, and usually refers to writing a bad check. The Alabama statues that apply to this charge are too long to copy into this site, but go to http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/coatoc.htm and read Alabama Code Section 13A-9-13.1, 13A-9-13.2, and 13A-9-13.3. These code sections define what constitutes NWNI and what has to be proven by the State before you can be convicted of the charge.

Writing a bad check is a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a range of punishment of up to 1 year in the county jail. As a misdemeanor, the statute of limitations is twelve months from the date of the commission of the offense.

If a warrant was not issued within 12 months of the date of the check, then you may be able to raise the defense that the charge was brought outside of the statute of limitations. If the warrant was issued within 12 months but was not served on you for a lengthy period of time beyond that, then you may be able to defend against it as a violation of your right to a speedy trial.

Also, pay close attention to the statutory requirements in the code sections listed above. If the State cannot prove the elements of the offense, you may be able to obtain a verdict of not guilty even if you did write the check.

Our firm handles criminal defense cases, and we have handled many NWNI cases over the years. If we can be of any assistance, please feel free to give us a call.