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PRIMARY DOCUMENT

“An ACT to punish certain thefts and forgeries” (December 31, 1806)

CONTEXT

In “An ACT to punish certain thefts and forgeries,” the General Assembly closes loopholes exploited by the defense of George Wythe Sweeney, who was accused of forgery.

Author: General Assembly
    Transcription Source: Samuel Shepherd,The Statutes at Large of Virginia, From October Session 1792, to December Session 1806, Inclusive, in Three Volumes (Richmond: Samuel Shepherd, 1836), 3:289.

    FULL TEXT

    Chap. 10—An ACT to punish certain thefts and forgeries.

    [Passed December 31, 1806.]

    1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, That if any person shall fraudulently obtain, or aid or assist in obtaining from the Bank of Virginia, or any of its offices of discount and deposit, any bank or post note, or money, by means of any forged or counterfeit check or order whatsoever, knowing the same to be forged or counterfeited, then every such person being duly convicted thereof, shall be sentenced to suffer imprisonment in the jail and penitentiary house for a period of time not less than two, nor more than ten years.

    2. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall forge or counterfeit, or aid in forging or counterfeiting, or keep or conceal or aid in keeping or concealing any instrument for the purpose of forging or counterfeiting the seal of the Bank of Virginia, then every such person, being duly convicted thereof, shall be sentenced to suffer imprisonment in the jail and penitentiary house for a period of time not less than five years, nor more than fifteen years.

    3. An be it further enacted, That if any person shall steal or take by robbery from another any bank or post note, then every such person, being duly thereof convicted, shall be sentenced to suffer imprisonment in the jail and penitentiary house for a period of time not less than three years, nor more than ten years.

    4. This act shall commence and be in force from and after the passing thereof.

    FURTHER READING

    Letter from Thomas Jefferson to George Wythe, with Enclosure (September 16, 1787) “Full of years; and full of honour,” Richmond Enquirer (June 10, 1806) Reports on the Death of George Wythe, Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser (June 17, 1806) Letter from William Wirt to Elizabeth Gamble Wirt (July 13, 1806)

    CITE THIS ENTRY
    APA Citation:
    General Assembly. “An ACT to punish certain thefts and forgeries” (December 31, 1806). (2020, December 07). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/an-act-to-punish-certain-thefts-and-forgeries-december-31-1806.
    MLA Citation:
    General Assembly. "“An ACT to punish certain thefts and forgeries” (December 31, 1806)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (07 Dec. 2020). Web. 26 Sep. 2023
    Last updated: 2020, December 07
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