A popular St. Louis County bar, Nick's Pub, was recently duped. A man was recently drinking at Nick's Pub and after buying rounds of drinks at the bar he paid the tab with fake $20 bills - nine of them in all. The man was later arrested and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office charged the man with forgery on October 25, 2011.

In the State of Missouri a person commits the crime of forgery "if, with the purpose to defraud, the person: (1) Makes, completes, alters or authenticates any writing so that it purports to have been made by another or at another time or place or in a numbered sequence other than was in fact the case or with different terms or by authority of one who did not give such authority; or (2) Erases, obliterates or destroys any writing; or (3) Makes or alters anything other than a writing, including receipts and universal product codes, so that it purports to have a genuineness, antiquity, rarity, ownership or authorship which it does not possess; or (4) Uses as genuine, or possesses for the purpose of using as genuine, or transfers with the knowledge or belief that it will be used as genuine, any writing or other thing including receipts and universal product codes, which the actor knows has been made or altered in the manner described in this section." 570.090 RSMo.

An experienced Missouri criminal defense attorney will challenge forgery charges like these in a variety of ways. It is essential that a defendant facing charges similar to these speak with an experienced criminal defense as soon as possible. This type of charge is a class C felony, which means if convicted the defendant could face up to 7 years in the Department of Corrections. An experienced criminal defense attorney may be able to prevent the defendant from spending anytime in prison at all.