Hawaii Revised Statutes Division 5. Crimes and Criminal Proceedings § 708-850

In this part, unless a different meaning plainly is required:

“Complete written instrument” means a written instrument which purports to be genuine and fully drawn with respect to every essential feature thereof.

“Falsely alter”, in relation to a written instrument, means to change, without the authority of the ostensible maker, drawer, or issuing commercial establishment, a written instrument, whether complete or incomplete, by means of erasure, obliteration, deletion, insertion of new matter, transposition of matter, or in any other manner, so that the instrument so altered falsely appears or purports to be in all respects an authentic creation of its ostensible maker, authorized by the maker, or issuing commercial establishment.

“Falsely complete”, in relation to a written instrument, means to transform, by adding, inserting, or changing matter, an incomplete written instrument into a complete one, without the authority of the ostensible maker, drawer, or issuing commercial establishment, so that the complete written instrument falsely appears or purports to be in all respects an authentic creation of its ostensible maker[,] authorized by the maker, or issuing commercial establishment.

“Falsely endorse”, in relation to a written instrument, means to endorse, without the authority of the ostensible maker, drawer, or issuing commercial establishment, any part of a written instrument, whether complete or incomplete, so that the written instrument so endorsed falsely appears or purports to be authorized by the ostensible maker, drawer, or issuing commercial establishment.

“Falsely make”, in relation to a written instrument, means to make or draw a complete written instrument, or an incomplete written instrument, which purports to be an authentic creation of its ostensible maker or issuing commercial establishment, but which is not either because the ostensible maker, or issuing commercial establishment is fictitious or because, if real, the same did not authorize the making or drawing thereof.

“Forged instrument” means a written instrument which has been falsely made, completed, endorsed, or altered.

“Fraudulently encode magnetic ink character recognition numbers”, in relation to a written instrument, means to change, alter, erase, add, create, tamper with, or manipulate the magnetic ink character recognition numbers, or symbols representing to be magnetic ink character recognition numbers, from the issuing commercial establishment.

“Incomplete written instrument” means a written instrument which contains some matter by way of content or authentication but which requires additional matter in order to render it a complete written instrument.

“Utter”, in relation to a forged instrument, means to offer, whether accepted or not, a forged instrument with representation by acts or words, oral or in writing, that the instrument is genuine.

“Written instrument” means: