{"jurisdiction": "us-ny", "code": "penal", "section": "170.35", "citation": "Penal Law § 170.35", "heading": "Criminal possession of a forged instrument; no defense", "text": ["§ 170.35 Criminal possession of a forged instrument; no defense.", "In any prosecution for criminal possession of a forged instrument, it is no defense that the defendant forged or participated in the forgery of the instrument in issue; provided that a person may not be convicted of both criminal possession of a forged instrument and forgery with respect to the same instrument."], "official_source": "https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/170.35", "from_official_api": true, "plain_english": "In a prosecution for possessing a forged instrument, **it is no defense that the defendant forged or helped forge that instrument**. ★ But a person **may not be convicted of both forgery and criminal possession of the same forged instrument**.", "in_force_on": "2026-05-31", "retrieved": "2026-09-27", "url": "https://elyphived.com/us-ny/penal/170.35", "publisher": "Elyphived LLC"}