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Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73

§3057 Bankruptcy investigations

Title 18 › Part PART II— - CRIMINAL PROCEDURE › Chapter CHAPTER 203— - ARREST AND COMMITMENT › § 3057

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

If a judge, receiver, or trustee has good reason to believe a crime under chapter 9 or other federal laws about bankruptcies, receiverships, or reorganization plans took place, they must tell the appropriate United States attorney. They must give the facts, the names of witnesses, and the offenses they suspect. If one of them reports, the others do not have to repeat it. The United States attorney must investigate and tell the judge what they find. If it looks likely a crime occurred, the attorney must promptly present the matter to a grand jury. If, after checking, the attorney decides no prosecution is needed, they must report the facts to the Attorney General for guidance.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §3057

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Any judge, receiver, or trustee having reasonable grounds for believing that any violation under chapter 9 of this title or other laws of the United States relating to insolvent debtors, receiverships or reorganization plans has been committed, or that an investigation should be had in connection therewith, shall report to the appropriate United States attorney all the facts and circumstances of the case, the names of the witnesses and the offense or offenses believed to have been committed. Where one of such officers has made such report, the others need not do so.
(b)The United States attorney thereupon shall inquire into the facts and report thereon to the judge, and if it appears probable that any such offense has been committed, shall without delay, present the matter to the grand jury, unless upon inquiry and examination he decides that the ends of public justice do not require investigation or prosecution, in which case he shall report the facts to the Attorney General for his direction.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

1948 ActBased on section 52(e)(1), (2) of title 11, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Bankruptcy (
July 1, 1898, ch. 541, § 29e(1), (2), as added by
May 27, 1926, ch. 406, § 11, 44 Stat. 665, 666;
June 22, 1938, ch. 575, § 1, 52 Stat. 840, 856). Remaining provisions of section 52 of title 11, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Bankruptcy, constitute section 151–154, and 3284 of this title. The words “or laws relating to insolvent debtors, receiverships, or reorganization plans” were inserted to avoid reference to “Title 11”. Minor changes were made in phraseology. 1949 ActThis section [section 48] clarifies the meaning of section 3057 of title 18, U.S.C., by expressly limiting to laws “of the United States”, violations of laws which are to be reported to the United States attorney.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1978—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–598, § 314(i), substituted “judge” for “referee” and “violation under chapter 9 of this title” for “violations of the bankruptcy laws”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 95–598, § 314(i)(1), substituted “judge” for “referee”. 1949—Subsec. (a). Act May 24, 1949, substituted “or other laws of the United States” for “or laws”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1978 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–598 effective Oct. 1, 1979, see section 402(a) of Pub. L. 95–598, set out as an

Effective Date

note preceding section 101 of Title 11, Bankruptcy.

Savings Provision

Amendment by Pub. L. 95–598 not to affect the application of chapter 9 (§ 151 et seq.), chapter 96 (§ 1961 et seq.), or section 2516, 3057, or 3284 of this title to any act of any person (1) committed before Oct. 1, 1979, or (2) committed after Oct. 1, 1979, in connection with a case commenced before such date, see section 403(d) of Pub. L. 95–598, set out as a note preceding section 101 of Title 11, Bankruptcy.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

Functions of all other officers of Department of Justice and functions of all agencies and employees of such Department, with a few exceptions, transferred to Attorney General, with power vested in him to authorize their performance or performance of any of his functions by any of such officers, agencies, and employees, by Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3173, 64 Stat. 1261, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 3057

Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73