Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company Chapter 15 Document and Handwriting Analysis Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company Kendall/Hunt

Chapter 15 Questioned Documents Involves the examination of handwriting, ink, paper, etc., to ascertain source or authenticity Examples include letters, checks, licenses, contracts, wills, passports Investigations include verification (handwriting, signatures); authentication (documents, determining age and ink) characterizing papers, pigments, and inks Kendall/Hunt

Chapter 15 Related Fields Historical dating—the verification of age and value of a document or object Fraud investigation—focuses on the money trail and criminal intent Paper and ink specialists—date, type, source, and/or catalog various types of paper, watermarks, ink, printing/copy/fax machines, computer cartridges Forgery specialists—analyze altered, obliterated, changed, or doctored documents and photos Typewriting analysts—determine origin, make, and model Computer crime investigators—investigate cybercrime Kendall/Hunt

Chapter 15 Document Examination Forensic document examination involves the analysis and comparison of questioned documents with known material in order to identify, whenever possible, the author or origin of the questioned document. Kendall/Hunt

Paper is involved in most crimes: ransom notes, forged signatures, receipts. Document examiner’s tools include: the stereomicroscope, templates, protractors, grids, & other devices. different types of light sources may be used to detect forgeries, changes, and obliterations. Handwriting’s individuality makes this type of physical evidence one of the few definitive tools available.

Individual characteristics Class characteristics Typical of a group Common writing habits Develop different nuances in our writing The way we write becomes embedded in our subconscious that it is quite difficult to disguise. Given enough evidence & exemplars a document expert may to able to present handwriting as individual evidence in court

Handwriting Handwriting analysis involves two phases: Chapter 15 Handwriting Handwriting analysis involves two phases: The hardware—ink, paper, pens, pencils, typewriter, printers Visual examination of the writing Kendall/Hunt

Analysis of Handwriting and Handprinting

Chapter 15 Handwriting Characteristics-a document examiner will generally examine 12 characteristics Line quality Word and letter spacing Letter comparison Pen lifts Connecting strokes Beginning and ending strokes Unusual letter formation Shading or pen pressure Slant Baseline habits Flourishes or embellishments Diacritic placement Kendall/Hunt

1. Line Quality 2. Spacing of Words & Letters Are the lines…. Smooth or Shaky Free-flowing or Nervous Rhythmic or Wavering Examine the average amount of space b/twn words and letters. Is the spacing consistent in the known and questioned documents?

3. Ratio of relative height, width, and size of letter 4. Pen lifts and separation What are the overall height, width, and size of letters in both the known and questioned documents? Check how the writer stops to form new letters and begin words. Forgeries may have pen lifts or separations in unusual places.

6. Beginning & ending strokes 5. Connecting strokes Compare how capital letters are connected to lowercase letters and how strokes connect between letter and between words Compare how the writer begins and ends a word, number, or letter. Are the strokes… straight or curled long or short Made on the upstroke or the downstroke

7. Unusual letter formation 8. Shading or pen pressure Letters written backward Letters with a tail Unusual capitals Individuals use different amounts of pressure with a pen or pencil. Makes the lines lighter or darker; narrower or wider Check for pressure on the downward and upwards strokes.

9. Slant 10. Baseline habits Does the writing slant to the right or left or is it straight up and down? Are some of the letters consistently slanted more or less than others? Does the writing tend to follow a straight horizontal line, or move downward or upward? Is it above or below the baseline?

11. Flourishes or embellishments 12. Placement of diacritics Are there any fancy letters, curls, loops, circles, double loops, or underlines? The crossing of t’s and the dotting of i’s and j’s. Check the crossing of t’s and dotting of i’s, j’s, or any other letters or punctuation marks. Is the cross on the t long in proportion to the stem? Is it located to the left or right of the stem? Are the i’s dotted above or to the right or left of the stem?

Handwriting Identification Chapter 15 Handwriting Identification Analysis of the known writing with a determination of the characteristics found in the known Analysis of the questioned or unknown writing and determination of its characteristics Comparison of the questioned writing with the known writing Evaluation of the evidence, including the similarities and dissimilarities between the questioned and known writing The document examiner must have enough exemplars (samples) to make a determination of whether or not the two samples match. Kendall/Hunt

Chapter 15 Handwriting Samples The subject should not be shown the questioned document. The subject is not told how to spell words or use punctuation. The subject should use materials similar to those of the document. The dictated text should match some parts of the document. The subject should be asked to sign the text. Always have a witness. Kendall/Hunt

Forgery: item prepared with the intent to deceive or defraud Chapter 15 Forgery: item prepared with the intent to deceive or defraud Most common forgery is a signature. Methods of Forgery Blind forgery—one made without a model of the signature Simulated forgery—one made by copying a genuine signature Traced forgery—one made by tracing a genuine signature Kendall/Hunt

Blind Forgery one made without a model of the signature The forger doesn’t even try to copy the original signature. May not even know what the signature looks like. Investigators have the highest success rate in identifying this type of forger.

Simulated Forgery One made by copying a genuine signature Often the forger practices the signature so much that they can avoid any hesitations and pen lifts usually seen in a forgery. Investigators can detect a simulated forgery by identifying the individual microscopic handwriting traits. The forger is often unable to duplicate all the victim’s individual handwriting traits This type of forgery can be very difficult to link to a suspect.

Traced forgery One made by tracing a genuine signature Done by tracing a signature using a light box or similar device May use other methods such as carbon paper or even pressing hard over a genuine signature then tracing over the indentation. Stereomicroscopic examination can disclose this type of forgery because the line quality may be inconsistent. Sometimes oblique lighting will show off the indentation.

Types of Forgery Check fraud Credit cards Forgery Chapter 15 Types of Forgery Check fraud Forgery Counterfeit Alterations Paper money Identity Social Security Driver’s license Credit cards Theft of card or number Art—imitation with intent to deceive Microscopic examination Electromagnetic radiation Chemical analysis Contracts—alterations of contracts, medical records Kendall/Hunt

Chapter 15 Document Alterations Obliterations—removal of writing by physical or chemical means can be detected by: Microscopic examination UV or infrared (IR) light Digital image processing Indentations can be detected by: Oblique lighting Electrostatic detection apparatus (ESDA) Kendall/Hunt

Famous Forgers and Forgeries Chapter 15 Famous Forgers and Forgeries Major George Byron (Lord Byron forgeries) Thomas Chatterton (literary forgeries) John Payne Collier (printed forgeries) Dorman David (Texas Declaration of Independence) Mark Hofmann (Mormon, Freemason forgeries) William Henry Ireland (Shakespeare forgeries) Clifford Irving (Howard Hughes forgery) Konrad Kujau (Hitler diaries) James Macpherson (Ossian manuscript) George Psalmanasar (literary forgery) Alexander Howland Smith (historical documents) Kendall/Hunt

Warm up: Get ready (ie. pick up the notes, have something to write with and….please PUT AWAY YOUR ELECTRONIC DEVICES** by the time the bell rings) for notes. **It is not part of my job to remind you of this, but it is part of my job to take your device from you if you can’t/won’t follow this request.

Individualizing Typing & Printing -FBI maintains a library of makes & models of all manufactured typewriters and thousands of type fonts. - Word processors and printers have largely replaced typewriters -Still ways to trace and compare output. -Color printers/photocopiers may add a pattern of miniscule yellow dots to the printout, encoding the printer’s serial number.

-Investigators can also sometimes compare copy machine output. -Debris, gripper marks, platen defects, and dirt can all make “trash marks” on copies from a copier. -These marks can change over time, so sometimes the material can even be dated. -Look at your notes…are there any distinctive marks/patterns?

Paper -Most modern paper is made from wood pulp. -Some types of paper are manufactured mechanically, treated with chemicals, some have additives (ex. cotton fibers) -Paper can be graded depending on the % of cotton fibers -25-50% cotton is called bond paper. -Mechanically produced wood pulp paper is used for newspaper.

-Special writing paper (stationery) is chemically treated with sodium sulfite -Shopping bags are treated with a sulfate for extra strength -Some manufacturers include their own watermark design (reduced # of fibers) -The manufacturer can change the watermark and sometimes can use it to indicate when the paper was manufactured and even where the paper was sold.

Chapter 15 Forensic scientists may look at the following characteristics to identify paper: Differences Raw material Color Density Watermarks Dyes or bleaches Fluorescence Thickness **Age Kendall/Hunt

Finish Training Lab packet Start/Finish Rotation #1 (Front lab table and side counter stations 1-4) Start Rotation #2 (Back lab tables) Start on Review Sheet if done with all rotations!

Ink Types Investigators often compare inks by their composition. Chapter 15 Ink Investigators often compare inks by their composition. Chromatography is a method of physically separating the components of inks. Types HPLC—high-performance liquid chromatography TLC—thin-layer chromatography Paper chromatography—uses filter paper (we will use this one in class) -Secret Service maintains an ink library of about 8500 ink-standard TLC slides -Secret Service and IRS maintain an ink library which includes chemical analysis of more than 9500 inks, dating from the 1920’s. Kendall/Hunt

Example Paper Chromatography of Ink Chapter 15 Example Paper Chromatography of Ink Two samples of black ink from two different manufacturers have been characterized using paper chromatography. Kendall/Hunt

Chapter 15 Document and Handwriting analysis Retention Factor (Rf) A number that represents how far a compound travels in a particular solvent It is determined by measuring the distance the compound traveled and dividing it by the distance the solvent traveled. Rf = distance from origin to spot distance from origin to solvent front 18 Kendall/Hunt

Warm up [again]: Get ready (ie. get out the notes from yesterday, have something to write with and….please PUT AWAY YOUR ELECTRONIC DEVICES** by the time the bell rings) for notes. **It is not part of my job to remind you of this, but it is part of my job to take your device from you if you can’t/won’t follow this request.

Pencils “Lead” The material is graphite (a form of carbon) Chapter 15 Pencils “Lead” The material is graphite (a form of carbon) Hardness scale—a traditional measure of the hardness ‘H’ of the “leads” in pencils. The 'B' stands for blackness, and HB is for hard and black pencils. The hardest is a 9H, followed by 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, and H. F is the middle of the hardness scale; then comes HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, and 9B, which is the softest. Another grading method uses numbers; the equivalents would be #1=B, #2=HB, #2-1/2=F, #3=H, and #4=2H. The most commonly used writing pencil is the #2 (HB grade), which is fairly soft, contains more graphite, and leaves a dark mark. Kendall/Hunt

Chapter 15 Forensic Linguist Expert who looks at the linguistic content (the way something is written) of a questioned document Language that is used can help to establish the writer’s age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, professional training, and ideology. Kendall/Hunt

Chapter 15 Evidence Class characteristics may include general types of pens, pencils, or paper. Individual characteristics may include unique, individual handwriting characteristics; trash marks from copiers; or printer serial numbers. Kendall/Hunt

Counterfeiting -Counterfeiting money is one of the oldest crimes known. -In 1865 the US Secret Service was established to suppress counterfeiting. -Although counterfeiting has substantially decreased since the creation of the Secret Service, this crime continues to be a potential danger to the nation’s economy and citizens. -Production methods have evolved over the years from the traditional method of offset printing to color copiers, scanners, computers, and inkjet printers.

-US currency has been changed over the past several years, beginning in 1996, to help thwart the efforts of counterfeiters -Government has added new features to US bills to protect citizens and businesses from being victims of counterfeiters. -Genuine currency paper has tiny red and blue fibers embedded throughout -Often counterfeiters try to fake the look of these fibers by printing tiny red and blue lines on their paper -Close inspection reveal that on the counterfeit note that the lines are printed on the surface, not embedded in the paper.  

Chapter 15 Counterfeiting In 1996 the government starting adding new security features to our paper money due to the advanced copying technologies that have raised the incidence of counterfeiting. The $20 bill entered circulation on October of 2003, followed by the $50 in September of 2004, and then the $10 in September of 2005. Subtle background colors have been added along with other features to discourage counterfeiting. -The fine border lines of a genuine note are clear and unbroken. -On a counterfeit bill, the lines in the outer margin and scrollwork may be blurred or indistinct. -Genuine serial numbers have a distinctive style and are evenly spaced -They are printed in the same ink color as the Treasury seal. -On a counterfeit, the serial numbers may differ in color or shade of ink from the Treasury seal. -The numbers may not be uniformly spaced or aligned. Kendall/Hunt

-On a genuine bill, the sawtooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals are clear, distinct, and sharp. -Counterfeit seals may have uneven, blunt, or broken sawtooth points. -The genuine portrait appears lifelike and stand out distinctly from the background. -Counterfeit portrait is usually lifeless and flat. -Details merge into the background, which is often too dark or mottled. -US currency is printed on cotton- and linen- fiber paper with no starch sizing, unlike commercial paper. -Sizing: in paper manufacturing, starch or other filters added to fill gaps, improve writability, and stiffen the paper.

Cybercrime -Criminal activity committed on the Internet. 2 categories: Chapter 15 Cybercrime -Criminal activity committed on the Internet. 2 categories: 1) activity that involves using a computer to commit a crime 2) activity that has a computer as a target -Computer intrusions: hacking, malware, virus, worm, Trojan horse   -Identity theft and Internet fraud: phishing, pharming, letter schemes, webjacking, bots, zombies, spoofed websites. Computer intrusions Extortion & harassment Identity theft Piracy Transmission of illegal items Cyberterrorism Kendall/Hunt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y52eFkFOK64

More about Document Analysis Chapter 15 More about Document Analysis For additional information about document and handwriting analysis, check out truTV’s Crime Library at: www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/literary/1.htm Or learn about forgery cases at: www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/scams/lincoln_forgers/index.html Kendall/Hunt