Manhattan Perjury Lawyer

Many of the judicial processes that occur on the state and local level in Manhattan rely on the truthfulness of participants. Official documents that you present to the government, as well as information that you provide while under oath, hold you to this standard. Knowingly providing untruthful and inaccurate information is a criminal offense.

Allegations involving perjury are serious matters. Every example is a felony where a conviction can result in a lengthy prison sentence. A Manhattan perjury lawyer could help you whether you are facing a perjury charge on its own or allegations connected to another alleged offense. A dedicated defense attorney could work to evaluate the truthfulness of your statement and develop defenses against your charges.

Lying Under Oath Constitutes Perjury

The government relies on truthful statements in many situations. This includes when people apply for a loan, disclose their income on a tax return, or during trials in courtrooms. In each of these cases, a party either signs a document stating that the information they are providing is true and accurate or takes an oath or affirmation before a judge. These oaths and signatures are a person’s guarantee that the information that they are providing is truthful to the best of their knowledge.

The truthfulness of this information is so important that knowingly providing false information is a crime. According to Kansas Statute § 21-5903, perjury occurs when a person intentionally and falsely:

• Provides an incorrect material fact before any court, tribunal, public body, or notary public
• Signs a document that contains information for government use, knowing that the information is incorrect

In simpler terms, perjury occurs when a person provides an official statement to the government, knowing that the statement is false. Convictions for perjury are usually level 9, nonperson felonies meaning that a court could sentence a person to a prison term of up to 17 months. However, an act of perjury during a felony-level criminal trial raises the severity to that of a level 7 nonperson felony. In these cases, a court may sentence a person to up to 34 months in prison. A skilled Manhattan attorney could help an individual better understand their perjury charges and the possible consequences.

The Concept of Intent in Perjury Cases

Prosecutors often struggle to prove allegations of perjury. This is because the statute requires an individual to knowingly and intentionally provide false information. Demonstrating a person’s mindset beyond a reasonable doubt is especially complicated during a criminal trial.

As a result, a Manhattan perjury lawyer could work to raise defenses that dispute a defendant’s state of mind during the alleged event. Perhaps the simplest way to accomplish this is to argue that a defendant made an honest mistake. People may not realize that what they are saying is false. It could also be possible to introduce evidence that a defendant did not intend to mislead a government body. Each case is unique, but a Manhattan perjury lawyer could help a defendant build a defense that makes sense for them.