Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73
§1721 Sale or pledge of stamps
Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 83— - POSTAL SERVICE › § 1721
Summary
Postal Service employees must not knowingly and intentionally use or get rid of postage stamps, stamped envelopes, or postal cards in unauthorized ways. That includes using them to pay debts, buy goods, use as security, sell for wrong prices, or sell outside their office. They also must not inflate office receipts to raise pay or act against postal rules. Violators can be fined under federal law, jailed up to 1 year, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §1721
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, knowingly and willfully: uses or disposes of postage stamps, stamped envelopes, or postal cards entrusted to his care or custody in the payment of debts, or in the purchase of merchandise or other salable articles, or pledges or hypothecates the same or sells or disposes of them except for cash; or sells or disposes of postage stamps or postal cards for any larger or less sum than the values indicated on their faces; or sells or disposes of stamped envelopes for a larger or less sum than is charged therefor by the Postal Service for like quantities; or sells or disposes of postage stamps, stamped envelopes, or postal cards at any point or place outside of the delivery of the office where such officer or employee is employed; or for the purpose of increasing the emoluments, or compensation of any such officer or employee, inflates or induces the inflation of the receipts of any post office or any station or branch thereof; or sells or disposes of postage stamps, stamped envelopes, or postal cards, otherwise than as provided by law or the regulations of the Postal Service; shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on section 331 of title 18 and section 364 of title 39, The Postal Service, both U.S.C., 1940 ed. (R.S. § 3920; Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 208, 35 Stat. 1128). Said sections were consolidated with only minor changes in phraseology. Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of “principal” in section 2 of this title.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $500”. 1970—Pub. L. 91–375 substituted “Postal Service officer or employee” for “postmaster or postal service employee”, “Postal Service” for “Post Office Department” in two places, “officer or employee” for “postmaster or other person”, and “any such officer or employee” for “the postmaster or any employee of a post office or station or branch thereof”, respectively. 1956—Act Aug. 1, 1956, broadened the class of postal employees subject to penalties prescribed by this section and broadened the prohibition to include the inflation of receipts by means other than the disposing of stamps, stamped envelopes, or postal cards.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1970 AmendmentAmendment 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.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 1721
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73