Under Florida state law governing “fraudulent practices,” it’s a third-degree felony to “knowingly and willfully ... make or use any false document, knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry” connected to the Department of State. While the fraud statute is not contained in the state’s election code, it relates to the 2018 election because the affidavit in question concerned the elections division, which falls under the Department of State.
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Keep in mind...falsifying official documents is the preferred criminal method to cover-up larger crimes.
REFERENCE--Falsifying Government Documents. involves altering, changing, or modifying a document for the purpose of deception.......can also involve forgery and/or passing copies of false documents. Falsifying documents is usually done in connection with broader criminal aims, such as extortion, government fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, financing terrorism........
Types of documents commonly falsified may include:
◾Tax returns and income statements
◾Personal checks
◾Bank account records
◾Business record keeping books
◾Immigration documents (such as visas, passports, etc.)
◾Identification cards and birth certificates
Many different types of acts can be considered as falsifying a document, including:
◾Altering or misrepresenting factual information such as prices or monetary amounts
◾Stating false information when requested to provide truthful statements
◾Forging a signature
◾Using official letterheads without authorization
◾Concealing assets or property WRT obtaining federal/state grants))
◾Knowingly using or distributing a fake document
A person can only be held criminally liable if they are deliberately acting with the intention of deceiving or defrauding another party.
Falsifying documents is a very serious offense and is generally classified as a felony. This means that a person charged with falsifying documents may be subject to the following legal penalties:
◾Having to pay a monetary fine
◾Incarceration in a prison facility
Depending on the gravity of the offense, as well as individual state laws, falsifying documents can result in a prison sentence of 5-10 years. Also, if government documents or authorities were involved, the legal penalties may be more severe. ..... legal penalties may increase with repeat offenses.
The penalty for falsifying government documents is outlined in the Crimes Act of 1958.
That law is barely enforced now, with a slap on the hand in order to protect illegals. This is one thing that has led to the out of control identity theft in this country. These laws are pretty much ignored.