Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73
§333 Mutilation of national bank obligations
Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 17— - COINS AND CURRENCY › § 333
Summary
Don't damage or alter national-bank or Federal Reserve notes to make them unusable. Penalty: a fine or up to six months' jail.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §333
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 291 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 176, 35 Stat. 1122). Words “or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System” were inserted because the paper of such banks has almost supplanted national bank currency. Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of “principal” in section 2 of this title. Minor changes in phraseology were made.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $100”.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 333
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73