Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73

§476 Taking impressions of tools used for obligations or securities

Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 25— - COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY › § 476

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Without United States permission, it is a crime to copy or make any physical, digital, or electronic impression of tools used to print or stamp United States obligations or securities, or of tools used to make those tools. The punishment can be a federal fine, up to 25 years in prison, or both.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §476

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, without authority from the United States, takes, procures, or makes an impression, stamp, analog, digital, or electronic image, or imprint of, from or by the use of any tool, implement, instrument, or thing used or fitted or intended to be used in printing, stamping, or impressing, or in making other tools, implements, instruments, or things to be used or fitted or intended to be used in printing, stamping, or impressing any obligation or other security of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 25 years, or both.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 266 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 152, 35 Stat. 1117). Enumeration of substances on which impressions could be made and enumeration of various kinds of tools to be used were omitted as unnecessary. Reference to circulating note or evidence of debt was omitted in view of definition of obligations and securities in section 8 of this title. Changes in phraseology were also made.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2001—Pub. L. 107–56 inserted “analog, digital, or electronic image,” after “impression, stamp,” and substituted “25 years” for “ten years”. 1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 476

Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73