{"data":{"id":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-277-19","jurisdiction":"us-ma","citation":"Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 277, § 19","heading":"Name of accused person; description by fictitious name; entry of true name","body":"Section 19. If the name of an accused person is unknown to the grand jury, he may be described by a fictitious name or by any other practicable description, with an allegation that his real name is unknown. An indictment of the defendant by a fictitious or erroneous name shall not be ground for abatement; but if at any subsequent stage of the proceedings his true name is discovered, it shall be entered on the record and may be used in the subsequent proceedings, with a reference to the fact that he was indicted by the name or description mentioned in the indictment.","path":["Part IV","Title II","Chapter 277"],"source_url":"https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleII/Chapter277/Section19","current_through":"amendments passed before May 31, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-17T05:25:21Z","sha256":"c32a8c849f33555a1e4a24c6dedba01c36ce4f22d9a65c567e36460f650c05db","source_id":"us-ma","stale":false,"prev":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-277-18","next":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-277-20"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}