Penal Code § 32.21(e-2) · Third-degree felony

FORGERY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT ENH IAT

Forgery Financial Instrument Enhanced in Texas: what bail is set at, how often a personal bond is granted, and what usually happens to the charge.

$5,000
Median cash bail
0%
Released on personal bond
555
Bail records

What “FORGERY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT ENH IAT” means

Texas Penal Code § 32.21 defines forgery: with intent to defraud or harm another, making, altering, completing, executing, or authenticating a writing so that it purports to be what it is not, or passing, publishing, or possessing such a writing with intent to utter it. This filing carries the enhancement in § 32.21(e-2): when a forgery graded under the section's instrument-based or value-based provisions is shown at trial to have been committed against an elderly individual, the offense is increased to the next higher category. "Elderly individual" carries the definition in Texas Penal Code § 22.04: a person 65 years of age or older. The "ENH" notation in the courthouse label "FORGERY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT ENH IAT" reflects that one-step increase, so a third-degree felony filing under this citation reflects conduct that would otherwise be graded one category lower.

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 ENH IAT in Texas

Across 555 Texas bail settings for this charge (3 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $5,000 (middle half: $2,000 – $15,000). 0% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 82 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (68 records), the median was $10,000 and 3% got a personal bond.

CountyRecordsMedian cash bailMiddle halfPersonal bondDenied
El Paso 129 $1,000 $1,000 – $2,000 1% 3%
Travis 64 $2,000 $2,000 – $2,000 0% 0%
Nueces 63 $15,000 $10,000 – $15,000 0% 68%

Showing the 3 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 ENH IAT cases

CaseCountyFiledDisposedOutcome
25-DCR-113118FortBendOct 6, 2025Aug 24, 2026Deferred adjudication
21-F-237BastropJun 9, 2026Aug 12, 2026Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case
423-F-238BastropJun 9, 2026Aug 3, 2026Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case
423-F-239BastropJun 9, 2026Aug 3, 2026Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case
26-00762-5WilliamsonFeb 11, 2026Jul 8, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
F-25-30366DallasFeb 27, 2026Apr 17, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
NA26-268ComalMar 16, 2026Mar 16, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
25-13136-439-FRockwallJan 7, 2026Feb 26, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea
25-1907-K368WilliamsonOct 29, 2025Feb 24, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea
24-10-15429MontgomeryOct 3, 2024Feb 18, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea

Charged with FORGERY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT ENH 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.