Title 18Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73

§650 Depositaries failing to safeguard deposits

Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 31— - EMBEZZLEMENT AND THEFT › § 650

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

U.S. Treasurer or depositary who fails to protect money from government officers or others steals or misuses it. Penalty: federal fine or equal to loss, whichever is greater, and/or up to 10 years' prison; if $1,000 or less, up to 1 year.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §650

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

If the Treasurer of the United States or any public depositary fails to keep safely all moneys deposited by any disbursing officer or disbursing agent, as well as all moneys deposited by any receiver, collector, or other person having money of the United States, he is guilty of embezzlement, and shall be fined under this title or in a sum equal to the amount of money so 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., § 174, (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 88, 35 Stat. 1105; May 29, 1920, ch. 214, § 1, 41 Stat. 654.) Mandatory punishment provisions stated in alternative. The smaller punishment for offenses involving $100 or less was added. (See reviser’s note under section 641, 645 of this title.) Minor changes were made in phraseology.

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 in a sum equal to the amount of money so embezzled, whichever is greater, or imprisoned” for “shall be fined in a sum equal to the amount of money so 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”.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

Functions of all officers of Department of the Treasury, and functions of all agencies and employees of such Department, transferred, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Treasury, with power vested in him to authorize their performance or performance of any of his functions, by any of such officers, agencies, and employees, by Reorg. Plan No. 26 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. July 31, 1950, 15 F.R. 4935, 64 Stat. 1280, 1281, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. The Treasurer of the United States, referred to in this section, is an officer of Department of the Treasury.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 650

Title 18Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73