Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 267, § 10 (2026)

Uttering, passing or tendering false, forged or counterfeited note, certificate, bill or traveller's check

✓ current as of July 2026

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Section 10. Whoever utters or passes or tenders in payment as true any such false, altered, forged or counterfeit note, certificate or bill of credit for any debt of the commonwealth, or a bank bill or promissory note payable to the bearer thereof or to the order of any person, issued as aforesaid, or an instrument described as a United States Dollar Traveller's Check or Cheque, purchased from a bank or other financially responsible institution, the purpose of which is a source of ready money on cashing the instrument without identification other than the signature of the purchaser, knowing the same to be false, altered, forged or counterfeit, with intent to injure or defraud, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than five years, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars and imprisonment in jail for not more than one year.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases, 2006–2018 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Murphy, 877 N.E.2d 604 (Mass. App. Ct. 2007).

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Commonwealth v. Murphy, 877 N.E.2d 604 (Mass. App. Ct. 2007). · cites it 6× “Michael David Murphy was convicted, after a jury-waived trial, of two counts of uttering a counterfeit note pursuant to G. L. c. 267, § 10. 1 On appeal, he argues that (1) the Commonwealth failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he knew the bills were counterfeit and had…”

Commonwealth v. Green, 845 N.E.2d 392 (Mass. App. Ct. 2006). · cites it 5× “267, § 12; and (3) tendering a false note, in violation of G. L. c. 267, § 10. The subject document in each of the indictments was the same: a single check bearing the name of the Ritz Carlton Hotel, in the amount of $320,000.”

Commonwealth v. Tavares, 87 Mass. App. Ct. 471 (Mass. App. Ct. 2015). “” Likewise, the crime of possession of a counterfeit bill or note under G. L. c. 267, § 12, requires the possessor to “know[ ] the same to be false, forged or counterfeit.”

Carrington v. Spencer (D. Mass. 2018). · cites it 2× “Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 267, § 10 is entitled “uttering, passing or tendering false, forged or counterfeited note, certificate, bill or traveller’s check[.”

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