Criminal possession of a forged instrument is a legal charge that falls under the broader category of forgery and fraud offenses. Forgery is a white collar criminal offense that involves creating a false written document with the intent to defraud.The forgery provisions of the Penal Law are found in Article 170. There are three degrees each of forgery and criminal possession of a forged instrument. When there are changes to the ownership of a property, documents such as deeds or mortgages must be prepared, updated, and recorded with the City Register. Kofi Amankwaa and his colleagues tricked vulnerable immigrants into paying thousands for fraudulent services that caused them to be deported. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit on Jan.