United States v. Paul A. Dudley and Nancy J. Dudley

GODBOLD, Circuit Judge:

This 'case requires us to interpret 18 U.S.C. § 1623(a), which makes criminal various types of activity before a court or grand jury:

Whoever under oath ... in any proceeding before or ancillary to any court or grand jury of the United States knowingly makes any false material declaration or makes or uses any other information, including any book, paper, document, record, recording, or other material, knowing the same to contain any false material declaration .

The Fifth Circuit has often reviewed convictions under the false declarations provision of § 1623(a). Here we…