Any person who shall knowingly make any false statement or shall falsify or permit to be falsified any record or records of this retirement system in any attempt to defraud such system as a result of such act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punishable therefor under the laws of the State of New Jersey. Should any change or error in the records result in any member or person receiving from the retirement system more or less than he would have been entitled to receive had the records been correct, the retirement system shall, as far as practicable, correct such error and adjust the payments in such manner that the actuarial equivalent of the benefit to which such member or beneficiary was correctly entitled shall be paid. The actuarial equivalent of any shortage in required contributions at the time of retirement on account of misstatement of age, leave of absence, or clerical error, shall be deducted from the retirement allowance otherwise payable.
N.J.S. § 53:5A-42