Perjury | Perjury Attorney | Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney

PERJURY

Perjury • Perjury Law • Perjury Attorney
Perjury Charge • California Perjury Law

Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney
California Criminal Attorney

Lying under oath can put you in prison!
Perjury is a serious crime and an affront to the justice system. If you are accused of perjury – to willfully and knowingly lie after taking an oath to tell the truth, or signing a document that you know contains false assertions – you could be convicted and serve up to 4 years in prison and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in heavy fines.

California Perjury Law
Perjury is a felony in California. California Perjury laws penalize anyone who willfully or knowingly makes false statements while under oath. Perjury is not just lying in court. It could be lying under oath in a civil deposition or a written affidavit or declaration. It is also a crime to procure or influence another person to commit perjury, commonly referred to as Subornation of Perjury. To convict for Subordination of Perjury the person procured must have actually perjured himself or herself.

California Penal Code Section 118 defines Perjury as:

“Every person who, having taken an oath that he or she will testify, declare, depose, or certify truly before any competent tribunal, officer, or person, in any of the cases in which the oath may by law of the State of California be administered, willfully and contrary to the oath, states as true any material matter which he or she knows to be false, and every person who testifies, declares, deposes, or certifies under penalty of perjury in any of the cases in which the testimony, declarations, depositions, or certification is permitted by law of the State of California under penalty of perjury and willfully states as true any material matter which he or she knows to be false, is guilty of perjury.”

Some examples of perjury:

To lie while answering a question when testifying as a witness during a trial.
To claim to make less money per year than you actually make while completing a sworn affidavit during divorce proceedings in court. (An affidavit is a written declaration or testimony made under oath before someone authorized to administer oaths. Usually it is the statement of a witness for court proceedings.)
To make two statements that contradict each other during a court proceeding, but not admit that one of those statements is false.
To lie on a driver’s license application.
To make a false statement on a loan application signed under penalty of perjury

The prosecutor must prove the following elements to obtain a conviction:

That you knowingly gave a false answer to a question after taking an oath that you would tell the truth in court,
That you signed a sworn statement as being true when you knew it contained false information,
That you reasonably understood what was meant by the person asking the question while you were under oath,
That your statement was false at the time you made it,
That you willfully and knowingly made a statement that contained a false material fact or concealed a material fact. (Yes, a person may be charged with perjury for hiding facts)!

Perjury Penalties
The penalties for a perjury conviction vary from no jail time to 4 years in prison. First-time offenders with no prior criminal history may be looking at zero days in jail, formal probation, fines, community service and restitution. There are other external factors that come into play such as the judge, the prosecutor and the victim. A perjury conviction may impact your ability to obtain gainful employment, career advancement, and denial of certain business or real estate loans. The outcome of your case depends in large part on your criminal defense attorney and specifically on his knowledge, skill and experience. That is why it is important to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney such as Stephen G. Rodriguez and Associates to assist you with your perjury case.

Aggressive Criminal Representation
Perjury charges are more serious than most people realize. If you have been charged with perjury I will defend your case aggressively. The Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys at Stephen G. Rodriguez and Associates take pride in their work and their case results reflect their commitment and dedication to their clients. Our skilled attorneys have helped many of our clients avoid severe penalties.

If you are facing a perjury charge or are being investigated for perjury, contact us today to set up a complimentary consultation to discuss your particular situation and how we may best represent you.

Law Offices of Stephen G. Rodriguez
633 West 5th Street
26th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90071

Telephone
(213) 223-2173

Stephen G. Rodrigues & Associates represents clients in the Southern California (CA) region, including Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, Orange County, Santa Ana, Fullerton, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura County, Kern County, Bakersfield, San Bernadino, and Riverside County.

Some of the terms that pertain to our practice include but are not limited to: dui, child abuse, identity theft, drunk driving, fraud, domestic violence, grand theft, felony, kidnapping, narcotic, robbery, misdemeanor, restraining order, arrest warrant, theft, hit and run, vandalism, arson, traffic charges, shoplifting, stalking, embezzlement, burglary, extortion, bench warrant, expungement, assault and battery, terrorist threat, sex offenses, solicitation, probation violation, suspended license, carjacking, gun weapon, attempted murder, petty theft, alternative sentencing, lewd conduct, drug possession, clear criminal records, juvenile offense, seal juvenile records, prostitution, rape.

Perjury • Perjury Law • Perjury Attorney Perjury Charge • California Perjury Law

Perjury • Perjury Law • Perjury Attorney
Perjury Charge • California Perjury Law