(a) False or fraudulent claim for exemption. — Any claimant who willfully files a fraudulent claim for exemption, and any person who knowingly assisted in the preparation or filing of such fraudulent claim for exemption or who knowingly supplied information upon which the fraudulent claim was prepared or allowed, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $50 nor more than $150, or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than six months, or both fined and imprisoned.
(b) Fraudulent assessments. — (1) An assessor or employee of a county who, with intent to defraud the state, assesses the value of the eligible claimant's homestead for an amount which is in excess of its true and actual value or is in excess of the assessed value of similar property in his county, in order to increase the cost of the homestead exemption to his county and to thereby secure a larger reimbursement from the state, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500, or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than one year, or both fined and imprisoned. Each violation of this subsection shall constitute a separate offense.
(2) An assessor or employee of a county who, with intent to defraud a claimant, assesses the value of the eligible claimant's homestead for an amount which is in excess of its true and actual value or is in excess of the assessed value of similar property in his county, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500, or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than one year, or both fined and imprisoned. Each violation of this subsection shall constitute a separate offense.