Making False Statements Is A Crime
Fraud Crimes- False Statements
False statements prohibit people from knowingly or willingly providing false information, concealing information, or even denying something that is known to be true. Even your Fifth Amendment rights do not pardon making untrue statements or concealing the truth. According to the statute for false statements, 18 U.S.C. § 1001, A person found guilty of making false statements shall be fined and can face imprisonment for up to 5 years. However, more serious offenses such as a case related to international or domestic terrorism, can face jail time up to 8 years.
A number of notable people have been convicted of filing false statements, particularly Rod Blagojevich in 2010, who was on the hot seat for attempting to sell the Senate seat vacated by US President Barack Obama. The former Illinois Governor was found guilty in August of 2010, but the jury was hung on the remaining 23 charges. Blagojevich continued to deny the charge and planned to appeal it rather than spend 5 years in jail. The prosecution ended up retrying the additional charges and Blagojevich was found guilty of 17 additional charges. In March 2012, Blagojevich began serving a 14-year sentence in federal prison following conviction for corruption, soliciting of bribes, and filing false statements.
Another member of society charged with this crime is Martha Stewart. After receiving non-public information from her broker at Merrill Lynch, Stewart avoided a loss of $45,673 by selling all 3,928 shares of her ImClone Systems stock 1 day prior to a massive stock-value drop. Martha Stewart was charged after she denied any knowledge of the information prior to the day the stock values fell. Stewart was found guilty in March 2004 of felony charges of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements to federal investigators.
Contact Our Firm
The criminal defense attorneys at Easter & DeVore, Attorneys at Law, understand the harsh consequences you could face if you make a false statement to law enforcement or in court. With our help, you will have a better chance to avoid making a false statement and subsequent criminal charges as well.
To schedule a free initial telephone consultation with one of our lawyers, call 865-566-0125 or send us an email. We accept credit cards.