United States v. Wells (1996)
- Docket
- 95-1228
- Decided
- 1996-01-01
Summary
Question: Is the materiality of falsehood an element of the crime of knowingly making a false statement to a federally insured bank? Conclusion: No. In an 8-1 decision, authored by Justice David H. Souter, the Court ruled that the materiality of falsehood is not an element of the crime of knowingly making a false statement to a federally insured bank. Justice Souter wrote for the court that prosecutors need not prove that a lie was relevant enough to affect the outcome of a bank's decision because the law does not require such materiality.