New York statute
N.Y. Penal Law § 195.20 — Defrauding the government
Current through 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17)
Part of Article 195: Official Misconduct and Obstruction of Public Servants Generally, New York Penal Law.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of N.Y. Penal Law § 195.20
Statutory text current through the 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17). This publication reproduces the text of the Consolidated Laws of New York as provided by the New York State Senate's Open Legislation service (Legislative Bill Drafting Commission statutory text); it is not the official statutes of the State of New York.
195.20 Defrauding the government.
A person is guilty of defrauding the government when, being a public
servant or party officer, he or she:
(a) engages in a scheme constituting a systematic ongoing course of
conduct with intent to:
(i) defraud the state or a political subdivision of the state or a
governmental instrumentality within the state or to obtain property,
services or other resources from the state or a political subdivision of
the state or a governmental instrumentality within the state by false or
fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises; or
(ii) defraud the state or a political subdivision of the state or a
governmental instrumentality within the state by making use of property,
services or resources of the state, political subdivision of the state
or a governmental instrumentality within the state for private business
purposes or other compensated non-governmental purposes; and
(b) so obtains property, services or other resources with a value in
excess of one thousand dollars from such state, political subdivision or
governmental instrumentality.
Defrauding the government is a class E felony.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.