§2339 — Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure | U.S. Code

Summary

It is illegal to hide or shelter someone you know, or reasonably believe, has committed or is about to commit certain serious violent or terrorist crimes. The covered crimes include things like destroying or sabotaging aircraft, attacks on ships, attacks on energy or nuclear sites, using biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons, arson or bombing of government property that risks harm, weapons of mass destruction, cross‑border terrorism, and aircraft piracy. A person who does this can be fined, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both. The case can be tried in any federal court where the underlying crime happened, or in another federal court allowed by law.

Title 18, §2339

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whoever harbors or conceals any person who he knows, or has reasonable grounds to believe, has committed, or is about to commit, an offense under section 32 (relating to destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities), section 175 (relating to biological weapons), section 229 (relating to chemical weapons), section 831 (relating to nuclear materials), paragraph (2) or (3) of section 844(f) (relating to arson and bombing of government property risking or causing injury or death), section 1366(a) (relating to the destruction of an energy facility), section 2280 (relating to violence against maritime navigation), section 2332a (relating to weapons of mass destruction), or section 2332b (relating to acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries) of this title, section 236(a) (relating to sabotage of nuclear facilities or fuel) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2284(a)), or section 46502 (relating to aircraft piracy) of title 49, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

(b)A violation of this section may be prosecuted in any Federal judicial district in which the underlying offense was committed, or in any other Federal judicial district as provided by law.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2002—Pub. L. 107–273 made technical correction to directory language of Pub. L. 107–56, § 803(a), which enacted this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2002 Amendment Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title IV, § 4005(d)(2), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1813, provided that the amendment made by section 4005(d)(2) is effective Oct. 26, 2001.

§2339 Harboring or concealing terrorists