18-U.S.C.-1708
§1708 – Theft Or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter Generally
Pathway
Title 18 > Part I > Chapter 83 > Section 1708
Details
- Reference: Section 1708
- Legend: §1708 – Theft Or Receipt of Stolen Mail Matter Generally
- USCode Year: 2013
Provision Content
Whoever steals, takes, or abstracts, or by fraud or deception obtains, or attempts so to obtain, from or out of any mail, post office, or station thereof, letter box, mail receptacle, or any mail route or other authorized depository for mail matter, or from a letter or mail carrier, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or abstracts or removes from any such letter, package, bag, or mail, any article or thing contained therein, or secretes, embezzles, or destroys any such letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein; or
Whoever steals, takes, or abstracts, or by fraud or deception obtains any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein which has been left for collection upon or adjacent to a collection box or other authorized depository of mail matter; or
Whoever buys, receives, or conceals, or unlawfully has in his possession, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein, which has been so stolen, taken, embezzled, or abstracted, as herein described, knowing the same to have been stolen, taken, embezzled, or abstracted—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 779; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, §39, 63 Stat. 95; July 1, 1952, ch. 535, 66 Stat. 314; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)
Historical and Revision Notes
1948 Act
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§317, 321 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §§194, 198, 35 Stat. 1125, 1126; May 18, 1916, ch. 126, §10, 39 Stat. 162; July 28, 1916, ch. 261, §1, 39 Stat. 418; Feb. 25, 1925, ch. 318, 43 Stat. 977; May 7, 1934, ch. 220, §1, 48 Stat. 667; Aug. 26, 1935, ch. 693, 49 Stat. 867; Aug. 7, 1939, ch. 557, 53 Stat. 1256).
Each of these two sections has been divided. Provisions relating to theft or larceny of mail were placed in this section.
Words letter box, mail receptacle, or any mail route are from section 321 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. Such receptacles are authorized depositaries. (See Rosen v. United States, N.Y. 1917, 38 S.Ct. 148, 245 U.S. 467, 62 L.Ed. 406, and Foster v. Biddle, C.C.A. Kan. 1926, 14 F.2d 280, involving indictment under section 317 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed.) No cases are reported of prosecutions for mail theft under section 321 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., which relates primarily to malicious mischief respecting letter boxes.
Language omitted from section 317 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and all of section 321 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., except that above quoted, was incorporated in sections 1702 and 1705 of this title.
Words or aids in buying, receiving, or concealing were omitted as unnecessary in view of the definition of principal in section 2 of this title.
The smaller penalty for an offense involving $100 or less was added. (See sections 641 and 645 of this title.)
Minor changes were made in phraseology.
1949 Act
This section [section 39] corrects a typographical error in section 1708 of title 18, U.S.C.
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted fined under this title for fined not more than $2,000 in last par.
1952—Act July 1, 1952, made any thefts or receipt of stolen mail a felony regardless of the monetary value of the thing stolen.
1949—Act May 24, 1949, substituted buys for buy in third par.
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.
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