What is the difference between forgery and uttering?

Forgery is the changing or making of a document with the intent to defraud someone.

Uttering is passing that document to someone with the intent to defraud.  So, if you made a counterfeit $100 bill, that would be forgery.

If you gave that counterfeit bill to a convenience store in exchange for groceries, that would be uttering.  You could be arrested and convicted of both forgery and uttering and you could be sentenced consecutively on each, meaning one sentence would start after the other was finished.

Conviction for forgery and uttering

A conviction for forgery or uttering will not only make you a convicted felon, it can also dramatically decrease your future employment options.  These offenses are considered theft offenses and many employers will refuse to hire applicants with forgery or uttering offenses.  If this is a first offense, you may be eligible for a pretrial diversion program and sealing or expunction.

If you have been convicted of either forgery or uttering in Miami, then you may want to call an experienced criminal defense attorney for legal advice.