What This Statute Says
The statute targets fraud aimed at financial gain.
A person who, in order to obtain a financial gain, intentionally falsifies, forges, conceals, defaces or obliterates a document of gift, an amendment or revocation of a document of gift or a refusal of gift is guilty of a class 6 felony.
A.R.S. § 36-855Class 6 is the lowest felony classification in Arizona and is sometimes treated as a misdemeanor at sentencing under section 13-604, but it remains a felony for charging purposes.
When This Statute Comes Into Play
The provision applies in narrow contexts where someone tampers with donation paperwork for financial benefit. Examples include a person who forges a refusal to prevent organ recovery in order to receive insurance benefits dependent on the body remaining intact, or someone who fabricates a document of gift to access processing fees as a procurement organization.
What This Means for Arizona Families
This statute is rarely invoked, but it backstops the article's reliance on documents. The Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act runs on records: the donor registry, the donor card, the will, the healthcare power of attorney, the signed refusal. Anyone tampering with these for financial gain is committing a felony.
For families, the practical takeaway is reassurance. The documents you sign mean what they say. Tampering is a serious crime, not a procedural irregularity. Our FAQ on making organ-donation wishes legally binding covers the documentation. The integrity rules behind your healthcare directive and donor records keep the donation system honest and the donor's autonomy protected.