18-U.S.C.-1703

18-U.S.C.-1703

§1703 – Delay Or Destruction of Mail Or Newspapers

Pathway

Title 18 > Part I > Chapter 83 > Section 1703

Details

  • Reference: Section 1703
  • Legend: §1703 – Delay Or Destruction of Mail Or Newspapers
  • USCode Year: 2013

Provision Content

(a) Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, unlawfully secretes, destroys, detains, delays, or opens any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail entrusted to him or which shall come into his possession, and which was intended to be conveyed by mail, or carried or delivered by any carrier or other employee of the Postal Service, or forwarded through or delivered from any post office or station thereof established by authority of the Postmaster General or the Postal Service, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

(b) Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, improperly detains, delays, or destroys any newspaper, or permits any other person to detain, delay, or destroy the same, or opens, or permits any other person to open, any mail or package of newspapers not directed to the office where he is employed; or

Whoever, without authority, opens, or destroys any mail or package of newspapers not directed to him, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 778; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, §37, 63 Stat. 95; Pub. L. 91–375, §6(j)(16), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 778; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(B), (G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2146, 2147.)

Historical and Revision Notes

1948 Act

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§318, 319 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §§195, 196, 35 Stat. 1125, 1126).

Section consolidated sections 318 and 319 of said title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. The embezzlement and theft provisions of each were incorporated in sections 1709 and 1710 of this title.

Minor changes were made in phraseology.

1949 Act

This section [section 37] corrects typographical errors in section 1703 of title 18, U.S.C.

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted fined under this title for fined not more than $500 in subsec. (a) and fined under this title for fined not more than $100 in last par.

1970—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 91–375, §6(j)(16)(A), amended subsec. (a) generally, which prior to amendment read as follows: Whoever, being a postmaster or Postal Service employee, unlawfully detains, delays, or opens any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail intrusted to him or which shall come into his possession, and which was intended to be conveyed by mail, or carried or delivered by any carrier or other employee of the Postal Service, or forwarded through or delivered from any post office or station thereof established by authority of the Postmaster General; or secretes, or destroys any such letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 91–375, §6(j)(16)(B), substituted Postal Service officer or employee for postmaster or Postal Service employee.

1949—Subsec. (a). Act May 24, 1949, §37(a), substituted secretes for secrets.

Subsec. (b). Act May 24, 1949, §37(b), substituted newspapers for newspaper.

Effective Date of 1970 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 91–375 effective within 1 year after Aug. 12, 1970, on date established therefor by Board of Governors of United States Postal Service and published by it in Federal Register, see section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as an Effective Date note preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.

U.S. Encyclopedia of Law Coverage

18-U.S.C.-1701 in the Legal Encyclopedia: Criminal Law

In this entry about 18-U.S.C.-1701, find legal reference material, bibliographies and premiere content related to criminal law in the American Encyclopedia of Law, presenting a comprehensive view of the United States criminal law-specific issues, written by authorities in the field.

18-U.S.C.-1691 in the Legal Encyclopedia: Crimes

In this entry about 18-U.S.C.-1691, find legal reference material, bibliographies and premiere content related to crimes in the American Encyclopedia of Law, presenting a comprehensive view of the United States crimes-specific issues, written by authorities in the field.

Topic Map


Posted

in

, ,

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *