Maine 4.18.1623 False Declaration in Grand Jury Testimony, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1623 is a criminal offense that prohibits someone from knowingly making a false statement or misrepresentation under oath in a Grand Jury proceeding. This section of the law specifically applies to testimony given in a criminal case. Violators of this law can be sentenced to up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. There are two types of offenses under this law: (1) making a false statement and (2) making a material false declaration. A false statement is defined as any statement that is not true and is given with the intent to deceive. A material false declaration is defined as a false statement that is material to the Grand Jury proceedings, meaning that the false statement could potentially influence the outcome of the proceedings.