Penal Code § 32.21(e-1)(5) · Third-degree felony

FORGERY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT >=$30K<$150K IAT

Forgery Financial Instrument at least $30K under $150K in Texas: what bail is set at, how often a personal bond is granted, and what usually happens to the charge.

$10,000
Median cash bail
2%
Released on personal bond
615
Bail records

What “FORGERY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT >=$30K<$150K IAT” means

Texas Penal Code § 32.21 defines forgery: with intent to defraud or harm another, altering, making, completing, executing, or authenticating a writing so that it purports to be the act of another who did not authorize it, or issuing, transferring, passing, or publishing such a writing, or possessing it with intent to utter it. This filing is graded under § 32.21(e-1), the value-based scheme added in 2017 that applies when the actor engaged in the forgery to obtain or attempt to obtain property or a service. Under § 32.21(e-1)(5), the offense is a third-degree felony when the value of the property or service obtained or sought is $30,000 or more but less than $150,000. The proved value bracket distinguishes this filing from the state jail felony bracket below it and the second-degree felony bracket above it.

Charged asShare of bail recordsPossible confinementFineSource
Third-degree felony100% 2 to 10 years in prison (TDCJ) Fine up to $10,000 Penal Code § 12.34

Ranges are the statutory maximums for the level; enhancements, prior convictions and plea agreements change what is actually imposed.

Bail for FORGERY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT >=$30K<$150K IAT in Texas

Across 615 Texas bail settings for this charge (5 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $10,000 (middle half: $2,500 – $25,000). 2% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 143 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (82 records), the median was $10,000 and 10% got a personal bond.

CountyRecordsMedian cash bailMiddle halfPersonal bondDenied
Nueces 126 $10,000 $10,000 – $15,000 0% 96%
Fort Bend 84 $2,500 $2,500 – $2,500 1% 0%
Tarrant 68 $5,000 $5,000 – $5,000 1% 0%
Travis 37 $7,500 $5,000 – $35,000 8% 8%
Hidalgo 35 $20,000 $10,000 – $20,000 0% 0%

Showing the 5 counties with the most records; use the selector for any county with at least 30. Per-charge bond settings on original magistrations, from Texas OCA bail reporting under SB 6. Bail is set case by case — these are statistics, not a prediction.

Recent FORGERY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT >=$30K<$150K IAT cases

CaseCountyFiledDisposedOutcome
23-07-09876MontgomeryJul 11, 2023May 6, 2026Deferred adjudication
F-26-22365DallasMay 1, 2026May 1, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea
25-DCR-111724FortBendJun 9, 2025Apr 13, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea
296-86086-2025CollinNov 4, 2025Mar 27, 2026Deferred adjudication
296-86086-2025CollinNov 4, 2025Mar 27, 2026Deferred adjudication
CR-25-2421-FHaysJun 11, 2025Mar 10, 2026Deferred adjudication
CR-25-2421-FHaysJun 11, 2025Mar 10, 2026Deferred adjudication
416-81410-2025CollinMar 11, 2025Feb 12, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea
416-81410-2025CollinMar 11, 2025Feb 12, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea
25-09-15677MontgomerySep 24, 2025Dec 4, 2025Guilty or no-contest plea

Charged with FORGERY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT >=$30K<$150K IAT?

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Bail data: Texas Office of Court Administration magistration reports (SB 6), Apr 2022 – Jun 2025. Court outcomes: county district and county clerk records. Statistics describe past cases and are not legal advice; every case is decided on its own facts.