Nevada Laws for "Forging Sales Receipts"
(NRS 205.965) Explained by
Las Vegas Criminal Defense Attorneys
It's a felony in Nevada to forge a pricing label or sales receipt with the intention to defraud a retailer. Penalties include high fines and even prison. However a skilled Las Vegas defense lawyer may be able to secure the defendant probation or even a full dismissal of the charges.
This article explains the Nevada crime of altering or forging pricing labels. Scroll down to learn the law, potential punishments, and common defense strategies.
Definition
The legal definition of "unauthorized altering of sales receipts" in Las Vegas, Nevada, mandates that "a person shall not, with the intent to cheat or defraud a retailer, possess, make, alter, forge or counterfeit any sales receipt or inventory pricing label."
In other words, it's illegal to make or otherwise change a pricing label or sales receipt for the purpose of conning the seller. Note that this law applies to both written and electronic labels used by retailers to identify, inventory or price products.
Typical scenarios that would violate NRS 205.965 in Las Vegas include:
- Buying a store item after writing a less expensive price on the price tag
- Hacking into a store's computer system to alter inventory prices (note that the hacking is a separate crime carrying felony penalties)
- Creating a fake sales receipt in order to try to get money returned
Defenses
Defenses to a charge of altering or forging a sales receipt or pricing label in Nevada depend on the specific circumstances of the case. Some general strategies a Las Vegas defense lawyer may employ include the following:
- No intent to defraud. A conviction under NRS 205.965 cannot stand unless the defendant acted with intent to defraud a retailer. If a defense attorney can show that the incident was an accident or misunderstanding, the case should be dismissed.
- False allegations. Sometimes innocent people get wrongly accused by others out of anger or revenge. As long as the defense attorney can show that the prosecution lacks enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the defendant should not be liable.
- Unlawful police conduct: If the police may have executed an illegal search in order to find evidence of falsified pricing labels, the defense attorney may file a Nevada motion to suppress petitioning the judge to throw out the evidence. If the judge grants the Nevada motion to suppress, the D.A. may drop the case for lack of proof.
Penalties
The Las Vegas offense of altering a pricing label or sales receipt is normally prosecuted as a category E felony in Nevada. A first offense for a category E felony in Nevada is usually "probationable" so the defendant does no time in custody. But the judge may impose a sentence of:
- 1 – 4 years in Nevada State Prison, and
- maybe up to $5,000 in fines
But if the defendant is accused of possessing fifteen (15) or more fraudulent sales receipts or inventory pricing labels, the D.A. may instead bring charges for a category D felony in Nevada. The sentence for a category D felony in Nevada is:
- 1 – 4 years in Nevada State Prison, and
- maybe up to $5,000 in fines
Accused of a crime? A lawyer may help . . . .
If you've been arrested for forging a pricing label or receipt under NRS 205.965, phone Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys at 702-DEFENSE (333-3673) for a free consultation. They may be able to negotiate or litigate your case so your charges get reduced or dismissed, leaving your criminal record clean.
