What are the penalties for attempting to fill a forged prescription in the U.S.?
<p>My cousin who lives in Anaheim, California was just caught trying to fill in a forged prescription for a benzodiazepine (Valium/diazepam). He scanned and forged the original script given to him by a doctor who refused to refill it a second time.</p>
<p>He went to a CVS last December and they successfully filled it. He tried again this month only to be caught by the pharmacist who asked him to wait a bit but called the police who arrived and arrested him</p>
<p>He was bailed out and now they say he's looking at being on the hook for a felony if the DA decides to press charges. How serious is this? I know a workmate who did something similar here the UK and only got a caution. I think this is highly unlikely to happen to him though as the American justice system is known for being particularly brutal in comparison to other Western nations.</p>

<p><strong>If</strong> the DA decides to press charges (we don't know) and <strong>if</strong> he is convicted (looks like a solid case), the problems are not just the sentence itself.</p>
<ul>
<li>There might be a probation period with conditions like drug tests and counseling, with penalties if he misses them.</li>
<li>It is legal to discriminate against people based on prior convictions. While California has <a href="https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/CriminalHistory/?content=faq/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">some restrictions</a> on when employers may ask, they can make it one part of their assessment.</li>
</ul>

united-states california fraud forgery