Attempt to Influence a Public Servant in Fort Collins
Fake COVID Letters Lead to Felony Charges

A woman is facing Attempt to Influence a Public Servant charges after she was caught providing fake doctor's notes to excuse her from appearing in court. Read more here.

Attempt to Influence a Public Servant is charged in Fort Collins and Larimer County when a person lies to a government employee to change the outcome of that employee’s decision. Last week, I posted a blog about a woman who was accused of forging doctor excuse letters to get out of going to court. In a brief synopsis, the woman provided multiple doctor’s notes spanning months stating she was COVID positive and could not appear in person for court. Someone looked into the letters and they were determined to be fake, leading to the woman’s arrest. Along with Forgery, the woman was also charged with Attempt to Influence a Public Servant.

Larimer County Attempt to Influence a Public Servant Lawyer: Definition of Attempt to Influence a Public Servant in Colorado

The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Attempt to Influence Public Servants – C.R.S. 18-8-306 – is:

Any person who attempts to influence any public servant by means of deceit or by threat of violence or economic reprisal against any person or property, with the intent thereby to alter or affect the public servant’s decision, vote, opinion, or action concerning any matter which is to be considered or performed by him or the agency or body of which he is a member, commits a class 4 felony.

An important definition to understanding this statue, is public servant:

Public servant” means any officer or employee of government, whether elected or appointed, and any person participating as an advisor, consultant, process server, or otherwise in performing a governmental function, but the term does not include witnesses.

So, employees of the court would be considered a public servants. This means, when the woman presented the fake letters to the court, she was presenting something she knew to be false in order to keep a warrant from being issued for not appearing in person as required.

Sentence for Attempt to Influence Public Servants in Loveland and Estes Park

In Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park, Attempt to Influence Public Servants is a class 4 felony. This level felony is punishable by 2 to 6 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections and up to $500,000 in fines.


If you or someone you love has been charged with Attempt to Influence a Public Servant, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the best criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-658-0007 to schedule a free initial consultation. Together, we can protect your future.

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