Abraham Lincoln's Most Notorious Forgers Probably one of the
most infamous forgers of the early 20th century was Joseph
Cosey. His counterfeit documents and signatures of Joseph Cosey
was born Martin Coneely in February 1887, in Syracuse, New York.
Although little is known about his youth, he managed to get into
a great deal of trouble with the law starting at a young age.
According to an article by Dorthy Twohig, Cosey served as a
printers apprentice before joining the U.S. Army at age 22.
However, after serving four years in the army he was
dishonorably discharged for assaulting another soldier. The
incident was to mark the beginning of a criminal career that
would span his adult life. To make ends meet after the army,
Cosey embarked on a life of thievery. Between 1914 and 1916,
Cosey was convicted several more times. The charges ranged from
attempting to cash counterfeit checks to concealing a deadly
weapon. His offenses resulted in his eventual imprisonment in
Twohig stated that the defining moment of Cos