Any person who shall knowingly and intentionally file or cause to be filed with the department of human services, or any employee or agent of the department, any statement or affidavit in writing which is false or erroneous, or defective in any important particular, and which, to his or her knowledge, is intended to report that one or more public assistance benefit checks or authorizations issued pursuant to chapter 6 of Title 40, has been lost, destroyed, or stolen and is intended to induce or cause the department or its employees or agents, to issue a replacement check or authorization, shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both, if the total value of the replacement checks or authorization(s) so issued in any period of twelve (12) consecutive months shall exceed five hundred dollars ($500), or shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both, if the value of the replacement check or authorization so issued shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500). All criminal actions for any violation of this section shall be prosecuted by the attorney general. The statement or affidavit shall contain language notifying the signer, in conspicuous language, that any false statement on the statement or affidavit is punishable by up to five (5) years imprisonment and a five thousand dollar ($5,000) fine.