Tampering with a witness in the fourth degree · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 215.10 Tampering with a witness in the fourth degree.
A person is guilty of tampering with a witness when, knowing that a person is or is about to be called as a witness in an action or proceeding, (a) he wrongfully induces or attempts to induce such person to absent himself from, or otherwise to avoid or seek to avoid appearing or testifying at, such action or proceeding, or (b) he knowingly makes any false statement or practices any fraud or deceit with intent to affect the testimony of such person.
Tampering with a witness in the fourth degree is a class A misdemeanor.
A person who knows someone is or is about to be called as a witness commits fourth-degree witness tampering by wrongfully inducing or trying to induce the witness to stay away from or avoid appearing or testifying, or by knowingly using a false statement, fraud, or deceit to affect the witness’s testimony. ★ The offense is a class A misdemeanor.
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.