Forgery is the criminal offense of making or uttering a false document or other instrument with the intent to defraud or harm someone—including a written or printed document, money, coins, tokens, stamps, checks, cashier’s checks, bonds, money orders, traveler’s checks, real property deeds, contracts, stock certificates, lottery tickets, wills, seals, credit cards, badges, trademarks, and symbols of value, right, privilege, or identification. Uttering a document means to declare—either directly or indirectly, and through words or actions—that the document is legitimate and what it purports to be.

Forging a document includes altering, making, completing, executing, or authenticating a writing so it purports (1) to be the act of another who did not authorize that act; (2) to have been executed at a time or place or in a numbered sequence other than was in fact the case; or (3) to be a copy of an original when no such original existed.

Forging a document also includes the acts of issuing, transferring, registering the transfer of, recording, passing, publishing, or otherwise uttering a document that is forged. And in some states the mere possession of a forged document with the intent to utter it constitutes forging a document.

The definitions, penalties, and punishments for the crime of forgery vary from state to state and are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code.

In Hawaii, forgery is a criminal offense that involves the creation, alteration, or use of a false document or other instrument with the intent to defraud or harm another party. This includes a wide range of items such as written documents, money, checks, contracts, legal certificates, and credit cards. The act of uttering a forged document refers to presenting or using it as genuine, whether by words or actions. The crime of forgery in Hawaii can encompass various acts, including altering, making, completing, executing, or authenticating a writing to make it appear as if it was done by someone else, at a different time or place, or as a copy of a non-existent original. Additionally, the issuance, transfer, or possession of a forged document with the intent to use it can also constitute forgery. The specific definitions, penalties, and punishments for forgery are outlined in Hawaii's statutes, typically found in the penal or criminal code. The severity of the penalties can vary based on the circumstances of the crime, such as the type of document forged and the intent behind the forgery.