What offense is committed when a man steals a check addressed to a woman, signs it, and plans to cash it?

The offense committed in this situation is forgery. Forgery involves the intentional falsification or creation of a document with the intent to deceive another person or entity. In this scenario, the man not only steals a check addressed to the woman but also signs her name on it. This act of signing another person's name represents an attempt to mislead the bank or financial institution into believing that the signature is genuine and authorized by the woman.

Forging a check is a clear demonstration of intent to defraud, as the man aims to cash the check for his own benefit while impersonating the rightful payee. The crux of forgery lies in the act of creating or altering a document with deceitful intent, which is precisely what occurs when the man forges the woman's signature on the check to achieve his goal of cashing it.

Other options, while related, do not fully capture the specific nature of the act committed. Theft refers to the unlawful taking of someone else's property but doesn’t encompass the forgery aspect. Fraud might seem close as it involves deceit for financial gain, but it typically refers to schemes rather than the specific act of falsifying documents. Identity theft involves taking someone’s personal information to impersonate them, but the focus here