Acknowledgment of appearance or oath
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Whoever, being an officer authorized to administer oaths or to take and certify acknowledgments, knowingly makes any false acknowledgment, certificate, or statement concerning the appearance before him or the taking of an oath or affirmation by any person with respect to any proposal, contract, bond, undertaking, or other matter submitted to, made with, or taken on behalf of the United States or any department or agency thereof, concerning which an oath or affirmation is required by law or lawful regulation, or with respect to the financial standing of any principal, surety, or other party to any such proposal, contract, bond, undertaking, or other instrument, shall be or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 753 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB).)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime for an official who administers oaths or certifies signatures to knowingly make a false certificate about someone appearing or taking an oath on matters involving the United States.