Forgery is a crime which includes the altering, counterfeiting, creating or modifying of a document with the intent for personal gain. This can include changing one particular word in a document or falsifying a signature. Computer forgery can also be a very serious charge if documents are altered, in part of whole, through the use of a computer or other type of word processor. Forgery is typically a very serious crime and in some cases may be heard through the United State's Federal Court system if it included large scale forgery. Every state has their own forgery statues and also their own options for sentencing and determines the appropriate penalty. Forgery sentencing typically depends on several factors including the amount of money involved as well as the specific type of forgery. For example, signing a as someone else is forgery, as are forging titles or corporate documents, but typically a single check is a misdemeanor on a first offense while the higher value corporate forgery will be a felony, typically in combination with other charges.