Mark Hofmann Research Paper

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Mark Hofmann was a professional criminal, that forged hundreds of fake documents with a deception that they were ancient and valuable. Mr. Hofmann was also known as the best forger to ever live during his era of professional crimes according to forensic experts and Charles Hamilton who is “a New York document dealer who is widely regarded as the nation's pre-eminent detector of forged documents” and implied that ''Mark Hofmann was unquestionably the most skilled forger this country has ever seen.'' Hofmann’s forged documents were then sold to major auctions and other places like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, where it is believed that Mark made a few million from fraud and forging. When dozens of forged documents were sold …show more content…

Mr. Hofmann was raised as a sixth-generation Mormon by his two parents that served The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “Hofmann was a below-average high school student, but he had many hobbies including magic, electronics, chemistry, and stamp and coin collecting.” Mr. Hofmann and his friends built bombs for fun in Murray, Utah as a teenager. During Mark Hofmann’s teen years, he was a coin collector and began forging. Mr. Hofmann forged a “rare mint mark on a dime,” where coin collector organizations told Hofmann that the coin was unique and “genuine.” Just like any other Mormon, Mr. Hofmann volunteered to serve a Latter-Day Saint mission. The LDS church sent Mark Hofmann to England in 1973, he was based at Bristol. Mr. Hofmann kept his parent updated about baptizing new converts, but he did not tell them his motives for being in England. Hofmann also pursued to find old biography about Joseph Smith, and purchased old Mormon books. After Mark returned from his mission he enrolled at Utah State University as a pre-med major. In 1979, “he married Doralee Olds in the Salt Lake Temple.” The couple had four children, but then got divorced in 1988 after Hofmann’s murders. (Wikipedia,

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