Home / Code Sections / § 18.2-172 — Forgery

§ 18.2-172 — Forgery

Court outcome data from 3,359 cases across 106 jurisdictions · 2025

Source. Virginia District + Circuit Court Information Systems, 2025 Methodology Report a correction Last refreshed July 8, 2026

Of 3,359 cases filed in 2025 under § 18.2-172, 2,037 reached an outcome — 73.5% were dismissed or dropped and 26.1% resulted in conviction, across 106 Virginia jurisdictions.

This page provides statistics from public court records for informational purposes only. This is not legal advice. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a licensed Virginia attorney.

Penalties Under § 18.2-172

Section 18.2-172 addresses forgery in Virginia — making or altering a document with intent to defraud, or using (uttering) a forged document as true. Forgery is a Class 5 felony carrying 1 to 10 years in prison, or up to 12 months in jail at the court's discretion.

Of 3,359 § 18.2-172 cases filed in 2025 across 106 Virginia jurisdictions, 2,037 reached an outcome — an average dismissal rate of 73.5% and an average conviction rate of 26.1%.

Court Outcomes Across Virginia

Across 106 Virginia jurisdictions (2025):

3,359
Total Cases
73.5%
Avg Dismissal Rate
26.1%
Avg Conviction Rate

Top Jurisdictions

Courts with the most cases related to this statute.

Jurisdiction Cases Dismissal Rate Conviction Rate Median Duration
Virginia Beach 238 64.9% 35.1% 4.7 months
Norfolk 210 72.7% 27.3% 3.6 months
Chesapeake 190 77.5% 22.5% 3.2 months
Fairfax County 174 98.3% 1.7% 6.2 months
Suffolk 134 72.9% 27.1% 6.0 months
Accomack County 102 92.5% 7.5% 2.4 months
Montgomery County 99 80.6% 19.4% 2.7 months
Henrico County 96 50.9% 49.1% 4.3 months
Chesterfield County 96 81.5% 18.5% 4.1 months
Richmond City 85 91.7% 8.3% 6.6 months
Hampton 84 88.1% 11.9% 2.5 months
Roanoke County 83 83.3% 16.7% 3.3 months
Newport News 76 89.3% 10.7% 6.8 months
Lynchburg 70 90.0% 10.0% 7.3 months
Gloucester County 68 83.3% 16.7% 6.8 months

Source: Virginia public court records, 2025 — VirginiaCourtFile.com

Explore Full Data

Fraud / Forgery — All Jurisdictions
2,037 resolved of 3,359 filed · 73.5% dismissed
Fraud / Forgery Guide
What the court data shows →

Common Questions

Of 3,359 cases filed in 2025 under § 18.2-172, 2,037 reached an outcome: an average dismissal rate of 73.5% and a conviction rate of 26.1% across 106 Virginia jurisdictions. Outcomes vary by court — view all jurisdictions for detailed data.
3,359 cases under § 18.2-172 were filed across 106 Virginia jurisdictions in 2025. For information about the current text and penalties of this statute, consult the Code of Virginia.

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