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Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73

§1951 Interference with commerce by threats or violence

Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 95— - RACKETEERING › § 1951

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Makes it a federal crime to block, slow down, or interfere with trade or the movement of goods by robbing, extorting, trying, or planning to do so. It also covers doing or threatening physical violence to carry out those plans. A person who does this can be fined under federal law, imprisoned for up to 20 years, or both. Key terms: Robbery — taking someone's personal property by force, threat, or fear, including property of someone with them. Extortion — getting property with someone's consent but by wrongful force, threats, fear, or by abusing official power. Commerce — trade or movement of goods in D.C., U.S. territories, between U.S. places and outside, between points in a state that pass through another state, or other commerce under U.S. jurisdiction. This does not change Title 15 §17; Title 29 §§52, 101–115, 151–166; or Title 45 §§151–188.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §1951

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whoever in any way or degree obstructs, delays, or affects commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce, by robbery or extortion or attempts or conspires so to do, or commits or threatens physical violence to any person or property in furtherance of a plan or purpose to do anything in violation of this section shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
(b)As used in this section—
(1)The term “robbery” means the unlawful taking or obtaining of personal property from the person or in the presence of another, against his will, by means of actual or threatened force, or violence, or fear of injury, immediate or future, to his person or property, or property in his custody or possession, or the person or property of a relative or member of his family or of anyone in his company at the time of the taking or obtaining.
(2)The term “extortion” means the obtaining of property from another, with his consent, induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right.
(3)The term “commerce” means commerce within the District of Columbia, or any Territory or Possession of the United States; all commerce between any point in a State, Territory, Possession, or the District of Columbia and any point outside thereof; all commerce between points within the same State through any place outside such State; and all other commerce over which the United States has jurisdiction.
(c)This section shall not be construed to repeal, modify or affect section 17 of Title 15, section 52, 101–115, 151–166 of Title 29 or section 151–188 of Title 45.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 420a–420e–1 (
June 18, 1934, ch. 569, §§ 1–6, 48 Stat. 979, 980;
July 3, 1946, ch. 537, 60 Stat. 420). Section consolidates sections 420a to 420e–1 of Title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., with changes in phraseology and arrangement necessary to effect consolidation. Provisions designating offense as felony were omitted as unnecessary in view of definitive section 1 of this title. (See reviser’s note under section 550 of this title.) Subsection (c) of the revised section is derived from title II of the 1946 amendment. It substitutes references to specific sections of the United States Code, 1940 ed., in place of references to numerous acts of Congress, in conformity to the style of the revision bill. Subsection (c) as rephrased will preclude any

Construction

of implied repeal of the specified acts of Congress codified in the sections enumerated. The words “attempts or conspires so to do” were substituted for section 3 and 4 of the 1946 act, omitting as unnecessary the words “participates in an attempt” and the words “or acts in concert with another or with others”, in view of section 2 of this title which makes any person who participates in an unlawful enterprise or aids or assists the principal offender, or does anything towards the accomplishment of the crime, a principal himself. Words “shall, upon conviction thereof,” were omitted as surplusage, since punishment cannot be imposed until a conviction is secured.

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 101–115 of Title 29, referred to in subsec. (c), is a reference to act Mar. 23, 1932, ch. 90, 47 Stat. 70, popularly known as the Norris-LaGuardia Act. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 101 of Title 29, Labor, and Tables. section 11 of that act, formerly classified to section 111 of Title 29, was repealed and reenacted as section 3692 of this title by act
June 25, 1948, ch. 645, § 21, 62 Stat. 862, eff. Sept. 1, 1948. section 12 of that act, formerly classified to section 112 of Title 29, was repealed by act
June 25, 1948, and is covered by rule 42(b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, set out in Appendix to this title. Section 164 of Title 45, included within the reference in subsec. (c) to section 151–188 of Title 45, was repealed by act Oct. 10, 1940, ch. 851, § 4, 54 Stat. 1111. Section 186 of Title 45, included within the reference in subsec. (c) to section 151–188 of Title 45, was omitted from the Code.

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

This section is popularly known as the “Hobbs Act”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 1951

Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73