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

FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITYTexas Penal Code (PC) § 32.21(e)

“FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITY” stands for Forgery of Government Records, Money or Securities, a third-degree felony under Texas Penal Code (PC) § 32.21(e). It is punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

Below: how these cases end in Texas courts, how long they take, and the punishment.

37%
Not convicted
225 days
Median time to resolve
$8,000
Median bail

What does “FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITY” mean?

“FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITY” stands for Forgery of Government Records, Money or Securities, a third-degree felony under Texas PC § 32.21(e).

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, to be executed at a different time, place, or numbered sequence than was actually the case, or to be a copy of an original that never existed — including issuing, transferring, passing, or publishing such a writing, or possessing it with intent to utter. This filing is the third-degree felony variant under § 32.21(e), which applies when the writing is or purports to be part of an issue of money, stamps, securities, or other instruments issued by a government, or part of an issue of stock, bonds, or other instruments representing interests in or claims against another person. Counterfeit currency cases charged in Texas state court commonly proceed under this subsection.

What usually happens to a FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITY charge?

37% ended without a conviction, 19% in deferred adjudication and 44% in a conviction.

How 348 resolved FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITY charges filed 2019–2023 ended, across 13 counties (Bastrop, Bell, Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, FortBend, Galveston, Hays, Montgomery, Rockwall, Travis, Williamson):

37%
Not convicted (128)
Dismissed by the prosecutor30%
Dismissed, but convicted on a companion charge6%
Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case1%
19%
Deferred adjudication (65)
Deferred adjudication19%
45%
Convicted (155)
Guilty or no-contest plea37%
Plea to a lesser charge7%
Convicted (plea vs. trial not recorded)1%
CountyResolvedNot convictedDeferredConvictedMedian days
Collin109 24%27%50% 163

Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (0) covers waived counts, bond forfeitures, transfers and unrecorded outcomes. Bexar County records disposition dates but not outcomes, so it counts toward time-to-disposition only. Tarrant County criminal records are not in this dataset.

How long does a FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITY case take to resolve?

Typically about 7 months: half of resolved cases closed within 225 days of filing.

Across 346 resolved FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITY charges filed 2019–2023, the median time from filing to disposition was 225 days. The middle half took between 133 and 390 days.

Time depends on the county's docket, whether the case is set for trial, and plea negotiations.

How did real FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITY cases end?

Individual cases from the public court record, with the disposition and sentence text exactly as the clerk entered it. Every case is decided on its own facts.

Ended without a conviction

CR-25-2471-D · Hays County
Filed Jan 7, 2026 → Dismissed by the prosecutor Mar 26, 2026 (3 months)
Dismissed
NA26-188 · Comal County
Filed Mar 5, 2026 → Dismissed by the prosecutor Mar 5, 2026
Non-Prosecution Affidavit
25-2771-439-F · Rockwall County
Filed Dec 17, 2025 → Dismissed by the prosecutor Feb 19, 2026 (2 months)
Dismissed
25-11-19359 · Montgomery County
Filed Nov 25, 2025 → Dismissed by the prosecutor Feb 11, 2026 (3 months)
Dismissed

Deferred adjudication

219-80613-2026 · Collin County
Filed Feb 10, 2026 → Deferred adjudication May 28, 2026 (4 months) · plea: guilty
CR-23-1807-B · Hays County
Filed Nov 1, 2023 → Deferred adjudication Apr 10, 2025 (17 months) · plea: guilty
24-05-07784 · Montgomery County
Filed May 17, 2024 → Deferred adjudication Oct 30, 2024 (5 months) · plea: guilty
CSCD 2 Years with Community Service of 100 Hours Comment ($1000 fine)
23-CR-1526 · Galveston County
Filed Apr 25, 2023 → Deferred adjudication Sep 30, 2024 (17 months) · plea: guilty
Sentenced - Probation/Community Service TX CSCD and Community Service CSCD 8 Years with Community Service of 160 Hours Provisions Provision (Restitution)

Ended in a conviction

219-80063-2026 · Collin County
Filed Jan 8, 2026 → Guilty or no-contest plea May 13, 2026 (4 months) · plea: guilty
Convicted: Guilty Plea - No Jury
CR2023-901A · Comal County
Filed Dec 6, 2023 → Guilty or no-contest plea Mar 3, 2026 (27 months) · plea: guilty
Confinement to Commence 03/03/2026 3 Years , Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice, Texas Department of Criminal Justice Jail Credit 356 Days Concurrent with Prior Sentence
25-CR-3397 · Galveston County
Filed Aug 25, 2025 → Plea to a lesser charge Jan 23, 2026 (5 months) · plea: guilty
Sentenced - Local Jail
18,203 · Bastrop County
Filed Jul 11, 2023 → Guilty or no-contest plea Jan 7, 2026 (30 months) · plea: guilty
Confinement to Commence 01/07/2026 2 Years , Texas Dept of Corrections, Texas Department of Criminal Justice Jail Credit 665 Days

What is the punishment for Forgery of Government Records, Money or Securities in Texas?

2 to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

Charged asPossible confinementFineSource
Third-degree felony 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.

How much is bail for FORGERY GOVT/NATIONAL INST/MONEY/SECURITY in Texas?

The median bail is $8,000, and 6% of defendants were released on a personal bond.

Across 4,384 Texas bail settings for this charge (30 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $8,000 (middle half: $3,500 – $15,000). 6% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 393 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (904 records), the median was $10,000 and 12% got a personal bond.

CountyRecordsMedian cash bailMiddle halfPersonal bondDenied
Tarrant 373 $2,500 $2,000 – $5,000 6% 8%
Dallas 370 $6,000 $3,500 – $15,000 0% 7%
Bexar 322 $10,000 $5,000 – $15,000 3% 11%
Denton 237 $3,000 $1,500 – $5,000 1% 3%
Hays 221 $5,000 $5,000 – $10,000 31% 6%

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.

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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.