131

Any person who knowingly and maliciously makes, circulates or transmits to another, or to others, any statement, rumor or suggestion, whether written, printed, or by word of mouth, which directly or by inference redounds to the discredit of the financial condition of any bank, foreign bank, or branch of a bank or foreign bank, doing business in the United States Virgin Islands, or which affects the solvency or credit of such bank, foreign bank, or branch of a bank or foreign bank, or any person who advises, aids, procures, or induces another to originate, transmit, or circulate any such statement or rumor, shall be guilty of a felony, and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500, or by confinement in the penitentiary for a term of not more than five years, or by both.