A. Except for violations of Section 24-14-18 NMSA 1978 [repealed], any person is guilty of a fourth degree felony and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978, who willfully and knowingly:

1. (1) makes any false statement or supplies any false information in a report, record or certificate required to be filed;
2. (2) with the intent to deceive, alters, amends, counterfeits, copies or mutilates any report, record or certificate, application or supporting documentation;
3. (3) uses or attempts to use or furnishes to another for use for any purpose of deception any certificate, record, report or certified copy that has been altered, amended or mutilated or that contains false information in whole or in part, or that is related to the birth or death of another person, whether living or dead; or

4. (4) neglects or violates any of the provisions of the Vital Statistics Act [Chapter 24, Article 14 NMSA 1978] or refuses to perform any of the duties imposed upon the person by that act.

   B. Any person who willfully and knowingly permits inspection of or discloses information contained in vital statistics records of adoptions or induced abortions or copies or issues a copy of all or part of any record of an adoption or induced abortion, except as authorized by law, is guilty of a fourth degree felony and shall be sentenced in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Sentencing Act [Chapter 31, Article 18 NMSA 1978].

History: 1953 Comp., § 12-4-51, enacted by Laws 1961, ch. 44, § 29; 1977, ch. 206, § 4; 1981, ch. 309, § 25; 1993, ch. 247, § 1; 2017, ch. 87, § 30.

ANNOTATIONS

Bracketed Material. — The bracketed material was inserted by the compiler and is not part of the law. Laws 2026, ch. 48, § 1 repealed 24-14-18 NMSA 1978, effective May 20, 2025.

Cross references. — For disclosure of information or records, see 24-14-27 NMSA 1978.

The 2017 amendment, effective June, 16, 2017, clarified certain violations of the Vital Statistics Act; in Subsection A, Paragraph A(2), after "amends", added "counterfeits, copies", after "certificate", added "application or supporting documentation", in Paragraph A(3), after "contains false information", added "in whole or in part, or that is related to the birth or death of another person, whether living or dead", and in Paragraph A(4), after "imposed upon", deleted "him" and added "the person".

The 1993 amendment, effective July 1, 1993, in Subsection A, rewrote the introductory language, made stylistic changes in Paragraph (3), and substituted "fails to perform" for "neglects" in Paragraph (4).

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 66 Am. Jur. 2d Records and Recording Laws §§ 10, 11.

76 C.J.S. Records § 57 et seq.