Forgery and Altered Documents

1. Forgery and Altered Documents

2. A Few Cases Involving Forgery/Altered Documents • Pasco Women Forged Documents of Man in Coma • Forged Document Ring Busted • People's Court- Altered Loan Document

3. What do you think? • If a document or piece of paper is found at a crime scene, what should the crime scene investigator or first responder do? • What are some other things that the investigator should look for? Why? • What are some examples of documents that might be altered or forged?

4. What do you think? • Why is the finding/detection of forgeries important? • What are some things you think a forensic scientist might look for when studying these documents to detect any alterations or forgeries?

5. Vocabulary • Forgery: the crime of falsely making or altering a writing which affects the legal rights or responsibilities of another person; includes the signing of another person’s name

6. Methods for Detecting Forgeries • B. Method 1: Handwriting Analysis • By using characteristics of a known handwriting sample, document examiners can often detect forgeries • Handwriting analysis also allows forensic scientists to make matches between a document and the author

7. Method 1: Handwriting Analysis3. The following characteristics are often used in conducting handwriting analysis (review of previous material): • Line quality • Word and letter spacing • Letter comparison • Pen lifts • Connecting, beginning and ending strokes • f. Unusual letter formation • g. Shading or pen pressure • h. Slant • i. Baseline habits • j. Flourishes or embellishments • k. Diacritic placement

8. Handwriting Analysis Example • The Zodiac Killer was never caught, but Ray Allen was the prime suspect. Do the samples match?

9. JonBenet Ramsey • Jon Benet was a child beauty pageant star. The-six-year-old’s body was found in the basement of her family home nearly 8 hours after she was reported missing. A ransom note was found on the kitchen staircase. Her family’s involvement in the murder is still unknown. The case was re-opened in 2010 as no one has yet been convicted and there is new technology in DNA, etc. now available.

11. B. Method 2: Typed Document Analysis • Some criminals use computers or typewriters in an attempt to avoid being caught through handwriting analysis • Fortunately, connections can still be made between a suspect and a document

12. Method 2: Typed Document Analysis • 3. Steps for analyzing typed documents: • a. Identify and examine quirks (ex. Off-set or crooked letters), impressions on the paper, font style, font size and spacing • b. Test ink using chemicals and different light sources to determine the composition and possibly the brand of the ink • c. Test paper for composition and possible fingerprints

13. Example of Altered Typed Documents

14. C. Method 3: Chromatography • 1. Chromatography: a technique used for the separation of mixtures from a solution • Ex. Separating ink into individual color components

15. 2. Chromatography can be used on pen ink, typewriter ink and computer ink • 3. Chromatography can identify the composition and source (brand, factory) of the ink • 4. By knowing the composition and the source, scientists can then determine the age of the ink and if the ink is the same throughout the document

16. Examples

17. TODAY’S TASK • Handwriting Analysis: • Using the forged check and the lab paper provided, analyze the signature to identify the author of the forged check. Use the packet to help you! • FINISHED EARLY? See me for handwriting samples to try to find your suspect!