Perjury is the criminal offense of making a false statement under oath—verbally or in writing—that the witness knows to be false and that is material to the proceeding in which the statement is made. And suborning perjury or subornation of perjury is the criminal offense of procuring the perjury of another person.

Perjury is a criminal offense under both state and federal laws and may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or as a felony offense, depending on the state or federal jurisdiction, and whether there are any aggravating factors that increase the seriousness of the crime. Perjury laws are located in state statutes—often in the penal or criminal code—and the federal perjury law is located in the United States Code at 18 U.S.C. §1621.

In Maryland, perjury is considered a serious criminal offense. Under Maryland law, specifically Maryland Annotated Code, Criminal Law Article, Section 9-101, a person commits perjury if they willfully and falsely make an oath or affirmation as to a material fact during a judicial proceeding, knowing the statement to be false. This applies to both verbal and written statements. Perjury in Maryland is classified as a felony and can result in severe penalties, including imprisonment. The law also addresses subornation of perjury, which occurs when someone persuades or induces another person to commit perjury. Like perjury itself, subornation of perjury is a felony offense and is punishable under the same state statutes. These state laws operate alongside federal law, where perjury is also a criminal offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1621. Federal law applies to statements made under oath in federal proceedings, and the penalties for a federal perjury conviction can include fines and imprisonment.