Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73
§552 Officers aiding importation of obscene or treasonous books and articles
Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 27— - CUSTOMS › § 552
Summary
Punishes a federal officer, agent, or employee who knowingly helps someone bring in, advertise, sell, show, or mail certain forbidden materials. That includes obscene or indecent items, materials urging treason or violent resistance to U.S. law, threats to kill or harm people in the U.S., ways to get an abortion, or other indecent or immoral articles. Such a person can be fined, jailed for up to 10 years, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §552
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever, being an officer, agent, or employee of the United States, knowingly aids or abets any person engaged in any violation of any of the provisions of law prohibiting importing, advertising, dealing in, exhibiting, or sending or receiving by mail obscene or indecent publications or representations, or books, pamphlets, papers, writings, advertisements, circulars, prints, pictures, or drawings containing any matter advocating or urging treason or insurrection against the United States or forcible resistance to any law of the United States, or containing any threat to take the life of or inflict bodily harm upon any person in the United States, or means for procuring abortion, or other articles of indecent or immoral use or tendency, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on section 1305(b) of title 19, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Customs Duties (June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title III, § 305(b), 46 Stat. 688). In view of definition of misdemeanor in section 1 of this title words “shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and” were omitted. Words “at hard labor” after “imprisonment” were omitted. (See reviser’s note under section 1 of this title.) Changes were made in phraseology.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”. 1971—Pub. L. 91–662 struck out “preventing conception or” before “procuring abortion”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1971 Amendment Pub. L. 91–662, § 7, Jan. 8, 1971, 84 Stat. 1974, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this Act (other than by section 6) [amending this section, section 1461 and 1462 of this title, and section 1305 of Title 19, Customs Duties] shall take effect on the day after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 8, 1971].”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 552
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73