What Happens If You Lie to a Grand Jury? | Federal Perjury Defense

What Happens If You Lie to a Grand Jury? | Federal Perjury Defense

The Spodek Law Group – we’re a second-generation firm with over 40 years combined experience. Todd Spodek, he’s been defending perjury cases for decades. We’re seeing people charged with lying to grand juries. Weekly. Every week!

So your probably thinking you can just tell a little white lie to the grand jury. Or maybe your convinced they’ll never find out you weren’t being completely truthful. Worse – you believe that because there’s no judge in the room, because your testimony was secret, nobody will ever know you lied.

Wrong. Catastrophically wrong.

Maybe you think prosecutors won’t bother checking your story. Maybe your hoping that grand jury testimony just disappears into some filing cabinet. Maybe you believe a small lie about dates or details doesn’t matter.

Look. Let me tell you something terrifying.

Your facing federal perjury charges. Five years in federal prison. FIVE YEARS. For lying to a grand jury.

The prosecutors? They’re reviewing every transcript. Comparing every statement. Looking for lies. Even small ones.

But heres the DEVASTATING truth – and it is devastating, absolutely devastating – lying to a grand jury is federal perjury under 18 U.S.C. § 1623, and prosecutors are charging people. Aggressively. They’re making examples of witnesses who lie!

Your looking at prison. Federal prison. For words you said in that room.

What is the penalty for lying to a grand jury?

Five years. That’s the baseline. Five years in federal prison.

But that’s not all. Not even close.

According to federal sentencing guidelines, perjury before a grand jury is being treated as obstruction of justice. That’s meaning enhanced sentences. Longer prison time. The judge? Not showing mercy to people who lie under oath.

Here’s what your really facing:

• Up to 5 years federal prison per count
• Fines up to $250,000
• 3 years supervised release after prison
• Permanent felony record
• Loss of professional licenses
• Immigration consequences if not a citizen

Multiple lies? Multiple counts. Each lie is being charged separately. Told three lies? That’s 15 years potential prison time. Prosecutors are stacking charges.

And if your lie caused someone else to get indicted? If your false testimony led to someone’s conviction? That’s aggravated perjury. Judges are throwing the book at people whose lies destroy others.

Our attorneys have seen prosecutors charge perjury for seemingly minor lies. Wrong dates. Denying meetings that happened. Claiming not to remember when emails prove you did. They’re not letting anything slide.

Is lying to a grand jury perjury?

YES. Absolutely yes. No question about it.

The moment you raise your right hand in that grand jury room – the moment you swear to tell the truth – your under oath, and any lie, any false statement, any misleading testimony is being considered perjury under federal law, specifically 18 U.S.C. § 1623 which covers False Declarations Before Grand Jury or Court, and prosecutors are loving this statute because it’s easier to prove than traditional perjury – they don’t even need to show which statement was false if you made contradictory statements, just that one of them had to be false.

Think about what this means – really think about it – because every word your saying in that grand jury room is being transcribed, recorded, preserved forever, and prosecutors are going through those transcripts with a fine-tooth comb, comparing them to documents, to other witness testimony, to phone records, to emails, looking for any inconsistency, any lie, any false statement they can charge.

The standard for perjury? Your statement must be knowingly false – you knew it was a lie when you said it – and it must be material, meaning it could influence the grand jury’s decision, but here’s the trap: almost EVERYTHING is considered material in a grand jury investigation because prosecutors are arguing that any lie shows consciousness of guilt, shows your trying to hide something, shows your obstructing their investigation.

Our attorneys are seeing people charged with perjury for lies they thought were meaningless – denying they knew someone when phone records show calls, claiming they weren’t at a meeting when calendar entries prove they were, saying they didn’t remember conversations when emails refresh those memories – prosecutors are treating every false statement as a federal crime, and they’re winning these cases because the transcripts don’t lie, even when witnesses do.

What happens if the judge finds out you lied?

When – not if, WHEN – the judge finds out you lied to the grand jury, your world implodes.

First thing? Immediate arrest. Federal marshals are showing up. At your home. At your work. Wherever they find you. Handcuffs. Perp walk. The whole humiliating process.

The judge? Furious. Absolutely furious. Lying under oath is attacking the integrity of the judicial system. Judges take it personally. Very personally.

Bail? Good luck. Judges are often denying bail or setting it impossibly high for perjury defendants. Why? Because if you’ll lie under oath, you can’t be trusted. Flight risk. Danger to the community. That’s what prosecutors are arguing.

Your original case – if you were a witness in someone else’s case – that’s now complicated. If you were testifying for the government, your credibility is destroyed. If you were testifying for defense, you’ve hurt their case. Everyone associated with you is tainted.

The judge is also considering contempt charges. Criminal contempt. That’s separate from perjury. Additional jail time. Additional fines. The judge can hold you in contempt immediately, no trial needed.

What is the penalty for lying in court?

Lying in court – whether grand jury or trial – carries devastating penalties. Devastating.

Federal perjury under 18 U.S.C. § 1621 carries up to 5 years. But that’s just the starting point. The real penalties are worse.

Sentencing enhancements are killing defendants. If your lie obstructed justice? Enhancement. If it involved sophisticated means? Enhancement. If you were in a position of trust? Enhancement. That 5-year maximum? It’s becoming 7, 8, 10 years real time.

State charges too. Many states have their own perjury laws. California? Up to 4 years. New York? Up to 7 years. And they can charge you separately from federal charges. Double jeopardy doesn’t apply – different sovereigns.

Civil liability. The person harmed by your lies? They’re suing you. For defamation. For malicious prosecution. For intentional infliction of emotional distress. Your facing bankruptcy on top of prison.

Professional destruction. Lawyers get disbarred. Doctors lose licenses. Teachers can’t teach. CPAs can’t practice. Any licensed professional? That license is gone. Forever.

Is there a consequence for those who commit perjury during testimony?

Consequences? The consequences are LIFE-DESTROYING.

Immediate consequences – the moment perjury is discovered, everything stops. Your testimony is stricken. Your deal with prosecutors? Torn up. Your immunity agreement? Voided. Your cooperation credit? Gone.

Legal consequences cascade like dominoes. New charges filed. Old charges reinstated. Plea agreements withdrawn. Sentences enhanced. Prosecutors are vindictive toward perjurers.

Personal consequences are crushing. Your reputation? Destroyed. Your word? Worthless. Nobody believes perjurers. Not employers. Not friends. Not even family sometimes.

Financial consequences are bankrupting. Legal fees for perjury defense. Fines from conviction. Restitution to victims. Civil lawsuits. Lost income while in prison. Lost career after prison. The financial destruction is total.

Immigration consequences for non-citizens? Deportation. Perjury is an aggravated felony. Automatic deportation. No relief available. Permanent bar from returning.

Our attorneys see families destroyed by perjury charges. Marriages ending. Children ashamed. Parents devastated. The collateral damage spreads far beyond the defendant.

Is perjury a federal charge?

Perjury to a grand jury? ALWAYS federal. Always.

Why? Because grand juries are federal proceedings. Federal prosecutors. Federal investigation. Federal jurisdiction. Even if investigating state crimes, lying to a federal grand jury is a federal offense.

Federal charges mean federal consequences. Federal prison – harsher than state prison. Federal supervised release – stricter than state probation. Federal criminal record – follows you everywhere.

The feds don’t play around with perjury. They’ve got resources. FBI agents investigating. Federal prosecutors pursuing. Unlimited budget. Unlimited time. They’ll spend millions prosecuting a single perjury case to make an example.

No parole in federal system. You serve 85% minimum. That 5-year sentence? Your doing 4 years, 3 months minimum. No early release for good behavior like state prison.

Federal prosecutors have a 95% conviction rate on perjury cases. Ninety-five percent! Why? Because they don’t charge unless they can prove it. Documents. Recordings. Other witnesses. They’ve got the evidence before they indict.

Is grand jury testimony excluded from former testimony?

Your grand jury testimony? It’s NOT excluded. It’s NOT protected. It’s coming back to haunt you.

That testimony you gave? Prosecutors are using it. Against you. Against others. In your perjury trial. In related trials. In civil cases. It’s evidence now.

Rule 6(e) secrecy? That protects the proceedings, not perjurers. Once your charged with lying, those transcripts are coming out. In court. In public. Everyone seeing your lies.

The former testimony exception under Federal Rule of Evidence 804(b)(1)? It’s letting prosecutors use grand jury testimony when witnesses become unavailable. And guess what? Perjury defendants often become “unavailable” by invoking the Fifth Amendment.

Your false testimony is also being used for impeachment. If you testify differently at trial, prosecutors are pulling out grand jury transcripts. “Didn’t you say something different under oath?” Your credibility is destroyed.

Worse – your grand jury lies are evidence of consciousness of guilt. Prosecutors arguing to juries: “Why would an innocent person lie to the grand jury?” It’s devastating evidence.

Call us RIGHT NOW at 212-300-5196
Facing perjury charges? Every minute matters – prosecutors are building their case!
Available 24/7 to protect you from federal prison!

The bottom line? The real, terrifying bottom line?

Lying to a grand jury is federal perjury. Period. No exceptions. No excuses.

Five years federal prison. $250,000 fines. Permanent felony record. Professional destruction. Personal humiliation. Financial ruin.

The prosecutors? They’re not showing mercy. They’re not cutting deals with perjurers. They’re taking cases to trial. They’re winning convictions. They’re getting maximum sentences.

Think you told a small lie? Doesn’t matter. Think they won’t find out? They will. Think they won’t prosecute? They absolutely will.

Grand jury transcripts are forever. Your lies are preserved. In black and white. Under oath. Prosecutors are reviewing them. Comparing them. Finding inconsistencies.

Our attorneys know how to defend perjury cases. Challenge the materiality. Attack the willfulness. Question the transcription accuracy. Argue ambiguity. We’ve beaten perjury charges. But it’s hard. Really hard.

The best defense? Don’t lie. But if you already did? If you already testified falsely? You need us NOW. Before indictment. Before arrest. Before your life is destroyed.

Call us IMMEDIATELY – we can review transcripts, assess exposure, develop defenses. Maybe negotiate pre-indictment. Maybe avoid charges. But only if you act NOW. Once your indicted for perjury, options disappear. Freedom disappears. Don’t wait until federal marshals are at your door!

This is attorney advertising. Prior results dont guarantee similar outcomes. Perjury penalties vary by jurisdiction.