Official certificates or writings
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Whoever, being a public officer or other person authorized by any law of the United States to make or give a certificate or other writing, knowingly makes and delivers as true such a certificate or writing, containing any statement which he knows to be false, in a case where the punishment thereof is not elsewhere expressly provided by law, shall be or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 753 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB).)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime for a public officer or other person authorized by federal law to issue certificates to knowingly hand over a certificate or writing as true when it contains a statement they know is false.