It is if you do it while filing to to run for office
If Romney did indeed stay at Bain longer than he’s claimed, it’s potentially more than just a political problem, but a criminal one as well, a top ethics watchdog in Washington tells Salon. Romney filed two personal financial disclosure forms with the Office of Government Ethics in 2007 and 2001 relating to his presidential runs stating explicitly that he “has not had any active role with any Bain Capital entity and has not been involved in the operations of any Bain Capital entity in any way,” since 1999.
“I think if Mitt Romney was aware that he was still the head of Bain, and if he filled out a form that failed to include that information, that’s potentially criminal. Intentionally providing inaccurate information can be a crime,” Melanie Sloan, the Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) told Salon.
Specially, it would violate the False Statements Accountability Act of 1996, 18 USC § 1001, a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison. “I can’t really imagine why he would have done this. But it does seem like a big problem. And it does seem like — how would he not know?” Sloan said. “Filing accurate financial disclosure forms is not optional. They’re not suggestions.”
