If any person shall enter into any agreement, combination or conspiracy to defraud the State of Mississippi, or any department or political subdivision thereof, by obtaining or aiding to obtain the payment or allowance from the public funds of the state, or of any department or political subdivision thereof, of any false or fraudulent claim, he shall be subject to indictment therefor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in the state penitentiary for a term not to exceed five years, or shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $1000.00, or by imprisonment in the county jail for a term of not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, within the discretion of the court.