Lying to FBI is a crime
Jarrett Maupin, II, an aspiring politician in Arizona learned a hard lesson in his pursuit of public office. The 21-year-old launched a challenge against Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon in 2007. His campaign included a false report to the FBI regarding alleged criminal activity of Gordon.
Jarrett Maupin II
Mr. Maupin is a minister and civil/human rights activist. He is a member of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network and has been referred to as “Kid Sharpton.” He was also a member of the Phoenix Union High School Governing Board, an unpaid position that he later resigned from.
He was arrested in 2008 and later plead guilty to one count of making a false statement to law enforcement. In September, 2009, he was sentenced to five years probation and 75 community service hours.
False reporting is a crime in most jurisdictions. Depending on the circumstances it could be a misdemeanor or a felony. The falsehood doesn’t have to be a complex story. For example, if you give the police a false name or date of birth when asked, it is a crime that you could end up explaining to a judge. Or showing the police a fake ID pretending to be older constitutes providing false information.
For more on this subject, see: http://askthejudge.info/what-if-i-use-a-fake-id/115/
This post was written by Tom Jacobs. Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including the recently published 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing). When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom can be found hiking, traveling and reading.
