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

Summary

It is a crime to make, copy, change, or use fake or altered money orders, postal notes, or blank money order forms, or to forge or fake the signatures, initials, stamps, or endorsements on them, if done to cheat someone. It also covers issuing a money order without taking the money first to fraudulently get money from the Postal Service, stealing or taking blank forms or the machines and tools used to make money orders, or having those blanks or tools when you know they were stolen. If you do any of these things, you can be fined under federal law, sent to jail for up to five years, or both.

Title 18, §500

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, with intent to defraud, falsely makes, forges, counterfeits, engraves, or prints any order in imitation of or purporting to be a blank money order or a money order issued by or under the direction of the Post Office Department or Postal Service; or Whoever forges or counterfeits the signature or initials of any person authorized to issue money orders upon or to any money order, postal note, or blank therefor provided or issued by or under the direction of the Post Office Department or Postal Service, or post office department or corporation of any foreign country, and payable in the United States, or any material signature or indorsement thereon, or any material signature to any receipt or certificate of identification thereof; or Whoever falsely alters, in any material respect, any such money order or postal note; or Whoever, with intent to defraud, passes, utters or publishes or attempts to pass, utter or publish any such forged or altered money order or postal note, knowing any material initials, signature, stamp impression or indorsement thereon to be false, forged, or counterfeited, or any material alteration therein to have been falsely made; or Whoever issues any money order or postal note without having previously received or paid the full amount of money payable therefor, with the purpose of fraudulently obtaining or receiving, or fraudulently enabling any other person, either directly or indirectly, to obtain or receive from the United States or Postal Service, or any officer, employee, or agent thereof, any sum of money whatever; or Whoever embezzles, steals, or knowingly converts to his own use or to the use of another, or without authority converts or disposes of any blank money order form provided by or under the authority of the Post Office Department or Postal Service; or Whoever receives or possesses any such money order form with the intent to convert it to his own use or gain or use or gain of another knowing it to have been embezzled, stolen or converted; or Whoever, with intent to defraud the United States, the Postal Service, or any person, transmits, presents, or causes to be transmitted or presented, any money order or postal note knowing the same— (1) to contain any forged or counterfeited signature, initials, or any stamped impression, or (2) to contain any material alteration therein unlawfully made, or (3) to have been unlawfully issued without previous payment of the amount required to be paid upon such issue, or (4) to have been stamped without lawful authority; or Whoever steals, or with intent to defraud or without being lawfully authorized by the Post Office Department or Postal Service, receives, possesses, disposes of or attempts to dispose of any postal money order machine or any stamp, tool, or instrument specifically designed to be used in preparing or filling out the blanks on postal money order forms— Shall be fined under this title 11 See 1994 Amendment note below. or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 347 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 218, 35 Stat. 1131). References to persons causing, procuring, aiding or assisting were omitted as unnecessary as such persons are made principals by section 2 of this title. Changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–322, which directed the amendment of this section by substituting “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000”, was executed by making the substitution for “fined not more than $5,000” in last par., to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 1972—Pub. L. 92–430 substituted “a blank money order or a money order issued by or under the direction of” for “a money order issued by” and struck out “, or by any officer or employee thereof” in first par.; substituted “or initials of any person authorized to issue money orders” for “of any officer or employee of the Postal Service,” in second par.; inserted “or attempts to pass, utter or publish” before “any such forged” and substituted “material initials, signature, stamp impression” for “material signature” in fourth par.; inserted “or Postal Service” after “the United States” in fifth par.; inserted sixth and seventh pars.; inserted “, the Postal Service” after “the United States”, and substituted “presents, or causes to be transmitted or presented, any money order” for “or presents to any officer or employee, or at any office of the United States, any money order” and designated material after “knowing the same” as cls. (1) to (3) with minor changes and added cl. (4) in eighth par.; inserted ninth par., and enacted provisions of former seventh par. as tenth par. 1970—Pub. L. 91–375 inserted reference to Postal Service and substituted “officer or employee” for “postmaster or agent” in first par. and substituted “officer or employee of the Postal Service” for “postmaster, assistant postmaster, chief clerk, or clerk” and “Post Office Department or the Postal Service, or post office department or corporation of any foreign country” for “Post Office Department of the United States, or of any foreign country” in second par.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Post Office Department redesignated United States Postal Service pursuant to Pub. L. 91–375, § 6(o), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 733, set out as a note preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.

Effective Date

of 1970 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 91–375 effective within 1 year after Aug. 12, 1970, on date established therefor by the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service and published by it in the Federal Register, see section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as an

Effective Date

note preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.

§500 Money orders

Summary

Title 18, §500

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Effective Date

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata