Legal Question in Criminal Law in Washington

Re: Check forging

1. If the crime is against your parents, they must report the crime.

2. Punishment for forgery is not less than one and not more than fourteen years in the penitentiary.

Re: Check forging

Assuming that this occurred in Washington State and not Idaho, the law here does not require a victim complaint for the police to investigate an act of alleged criminal wrongdoing. If you have personal knowledge of what your sister is doing, you can go to the police and report it.

The police will in turn investigate the events your report. If your parents are unwilling to assist in the investigation (i.e. they refuse to be interviewed or deny the police access to their bank accounts), the case may never lead to formal establishment of charges. At least you will have done your civic duty, and the police undertaking an investigation could be enough to quell your sister�s sinister stunts.

You could also let the bank know what is happening, and usually under the account holder�s agreement, the bank can take steps to freeze your parent�s bank accounts so the theft by forgeries cannot continue. If there�s no evidence that your parents knew of the forgeries and if they sign an �affidavit of fraud,� the bank will usually reimburse their account for the money taken.

As for the crime and punishment, under Revised Code of Washington, Section 9A.60.020, the crime of forgery is committed when someone possesses, utters, offers, disposes of, or puts off as true a written instrument that he or she knows to be forged. Forgery in Washington is a class C felony and carries a maximum punishment of up to 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.