(a) Any person who knowingly makes any false statements or falsifies or permits to be falsified any records of the system in any attempt to defraud the system, as a result of such an act, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $500.00, imprisonment not to exceed 12 months, or both.

(b) If any change or error in the records results in any member or beneficiary receiving from the system more or less than he would have been entitled to receive had the records been correct, the board shall have the power to correct such error and to adjust the payments as far as practicable in such a manner that the actuarial equivalent of the benefit to which such member or beneficiary was correctly entitled shall be paid.