Adolf Beck: The Handwriting Error That Changed British Justice
Adolf Beck spent years in prison for crimes he didn’t commit, all due to handwriting evidence and mistaken identity. His case changed British law forever.
Bart Baggett- Ask a Forensic Handwriting Expert
Articles by Bart Baggett.
Bart Baggett- Ask a Forensic Handwriting Expert
Articles by Bart Baggett.
Bart Baggett
Why Most Americans Can’t Read Cursive Anymore
Most Americans can’t read cursive handwriting. Here’s how volunteers in the National Archives’ Citizen Archivist Program are making history accessible—one document at a time.
Operation Bernhard: How Nazi Counterfeiters Fooled the Bank of England
Operation Bernhard was the Nazi plot to destabilize Britain with expertly forged banknotes. The Bank of England caught the fakes by spotting a single serial number.
The Baron of Arizona: James Reavis and the 12-Million-Acre Forgery
James Reavis claimed 12 million acres in Arizona and New Mexico with forged Spanish land grants. Forensic document examiners exposed his fraud, leading to conviction.
Robert Durst’s ‘Cadaver’ Note: The Handwriting That Ended Decades of Denial
Robert Durst’s handwritten ‘cadaver’ note, sent anonymously to police, became the evidence that helped convict him of murder after years of denial and speculation.
CBS Bush Memos: The Cost of Skipping Authentication
In 2004, CBS aired memos about President George W. Bush's National Guard service without forensic authentication. The controversy led to a major retraction and changed several careers.
Charles Manson’s Disputed Will: The Ongoing Battle Over His Estate
Charles Manson’s 2002 will, produced by a prison pen pal, has sparked years of legal battles over his estate. The authenticity of the will’s signature remains unresolved.
Martha Stewart, the @60 Worksheet, and the Ink That Didn’t Decide the Case
In Martha Stewart’s 2004 trial, ink analysis showed the “@60” note on a broker’s worksheet was written with a different pen. The jury acquitted on that charge.
Kerouac’s Mother’s Will Ruled a Forgery: The $20 Million Signature Dispute
In 2009, a judge ruled Jack Kerouac’s mother’s will a forgery after an expert found fifty differences in the signature. The $20 million estate’s future was left in limbo.
Denis Vrain-Lucas: The Man Who Forged History for the Académie des Sciences
Denis Vrain-Lucas sold thousands of forged letters, including some from Cleopatra written in modern French, to a respected scientist. The case still shapes how experts examine questioned documents today.