Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73
§647 Receiving loan from court officer
Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 31— - EMBEZZLEMENT AND THEFT › § 647
Summary
Knowingly taking money that a U.S. court clerk or officer holds in the court’s registry is embezzlement. If over $1,000, the penalty can be a fine (up to the amount taken or higher) and/or up to 10 years in prison; if $1,000 or less, the fine and/or jail time is up to 1 year.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §647
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever knowingly receives, from a clerk or other officer of a court of the United States, as a deposit, loan, or otherwise, any money belonging in the registry of such court, is guilty of embezzlement, and shall be fined under this title or not more than the amount embezzled, whichever is greater, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; but if the amount embezzled does not exceed $1,000, he shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 187 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 100, 35 Stat. 1107). The punishment provision of section 185 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., now section 646 of this title, was substituted for the words “punished as prescribed in section 185 of this title” and the smaller punishment for an offense involving $100 or less was inserted. (See reviser’s notes under section 641 and 645 of this title.)
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1996—Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “$1,000” for “$100”. 1994—Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(2)(G), substituted “shall be fined under this title or not more than the amount embezzled, whichever is greater, or imprisoned” for “shall be fined not more than the amount embezzled or imprisoned”. Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(H), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” after “he shall be”.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 647
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73