Title 18Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73

§658 Property mortgaged or pledged to farm credit agencies

Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 31— - EMBEZZLEMENT AND THEFT › § 658

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Anyone who, on purpose to cheat, knowingly hides, takes away, gets rid of, or uses for themselves or someone else any property mortgaged to or held by federal farm lending or insurance agencies (for example: the Farm Credit Administration; Federal intermediate credit banks; the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation; the Secretary of Agriculture acting through the Farmers Home Administration or its successor; the Rural Development Administration or its successor; production credit associations under 12 U.S.C. 1131–1134m; regional agricultural credit corporations; or banks for cooperatives) can be fined under federal law, imprisoned for up to five years, or both. If the value of the property is $1,000 or less, the prison term is up to one year, a fine, or both.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §658

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, with intent to defraud, knowingly conceals, removes, disposes of, or converts to his own use or to that of another, any property mortgaged or pledged to, or held by, the Farm Credit Administration, any Federal intermediate credit bank, or the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, the Secretary of Agriculture acting through the Farmers Home Administration or successor agency, the Rural Development Administration or successor agency, any production credit association organized under section 1131–1134m of Title 12, any regional agricultural credit corporation, or any bank for cooperatives, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both; but if the value of such property 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

1948 ActBased on section 1026(c) and 1514(d) of title 7, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Agriculture, and section 1138d(d) of title 12, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Banks and Banking (
June 16, 1933, ch. 98, § 64, 48 Stat. 269; Jan. 31, 1934, ch. 7, § 13, 48 Stat. 347;
July 22, 1937, ch. 517, title IV, § 52(c), 50 Stat. 532; Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title V, § 514(d), 52 Stat. 76; Aug. 14, 1946, ch. 964, § 3, 60 Stat. 1064). To avoid reference to another section the words “the Farm Credit Administration, any Federal intermediate credit bank, the Federal Farm Mortgage Corporation, Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, Farmers’ Home Corporation, or any production credit corporation or corporation in which a production credit corporation holds stock, any regional agricultural credit corporation, or any bank for cooperatives” were substituted for the words “or any corporation referred to in subsection (a) of this section.” The punishment provision was completely rewritten. The $2,000 fine of section 1026(c) of title 7, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and the 2-year penalty of that section, section 1514(d) of title 7, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and section 1138(d) of title 12, U.S.C., 1940 ed., were incongruous in juxtaposition with other sections of this chapter and were therefore increased to $5,000 and 5 years. (See section 656 and 657 of this title.) The smaller punishment for an offense involving $100 or less was added. (See reviser’s notes under section 641 and 645 of this title.) Minor changes were made in phraseology. 1949 Act[section 12] conforms section 658 of title 18 U.S.C., to administrative practice which in turn was modified to comply with congressional policy. (See note to sec. 11 [of 1949 Act, set out in Legislative History note under section 657 of title 18]).

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 1131 of Title 12, included within the reference to sections 1131 to 1134m of Title 12, was repealed by Pub. L. 89–554, § 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 648. section 1131a, 1131c to 1131g, 1131g–2 to 1131i, 1134 to 1134m of Title 12, included within the reference to sections 1131 to 1134m of Title 12, were repealed by Pub. L. 92–181, title V, § 5.26(a), Dec. 10, 1971, 85 Stat. 624. section 1131a–1 and 1131j of Title 12, included within the reference to sections 1131 to 1134m of Title 12, are omitted from the Code. Section 1131a–1 of Title 12, was from the Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Administration Appropriation Act, 1957, and was not repeated in subsequent appropriation acts. section 1131j was covered by former section 1131g–2 of Title 12, prior to its repeal by Pub. L. 92–181, title V, § 5.26(a), Dec. 10, 1971, 85 Stat. 624. section 1131b and 1131g–1 of Title 12, included within the reference to sections 1131 to 1134m of Title 12, were repealed by act July 26, 1956, ch. 741, title 1, § 105(c), (q), 70 Stat. 665, 666.

Amendments

1999—Pub. L. 106–78 inserted “or successor agency” after “Farmers Home Administration” and after “Rural Development Administration”. 1996—Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “$1,000” for “$100”. 1994—Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(H), (K), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000” after “cooperatives, shall be” and for “fined not more than $1,000” after “he shall be”. Pub. L. 103–322, § 330004(7), struck out “Farmers’ Home Corporation,” after “Crop Insurance Corporation,”. 1990—Pub. L. 101–624 substituted “Farmers Home Administration, the Rural Development Administration” for “Farmers’ Home Administration”. 1961—Pub. L. 87–353 struck out reference to the Federal Farm Mortgage Corporation. 1956—Act
July 26, 1956, struck out property of any production credit association in which a Production Credit Corporation holds stock. 1951—Act Oct. 31, 1951, covered all production credit associations instead of only those in which a Production Credit Corporation holds stock. 1949—Act
May 24, 1949, made section applicable to the Secretary of Agriculture acting through the Farmers’ Home Administration.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1956 AmendmentAmendment by act
July 26, 1956, effective
January 1, 1957, see section 202(a) of act
July 26, 1956.

Executive Documents

Exceptions From

Transfer of Functions

Functions of Corporations of Department of Agriculture; boards of directors and officers of such corporations; Advisory Board of Commodity Credit Corporation; and Farm Credit Administration or any agency, officer, or entity of, under, or subject to supervision of said Administration excepted from functions of officers, agencies, and employees transferred to Secretary of Agriculture by Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1953, § 1, eff. June 4, 1953, 18 F.R. 3219, 67 Stat. 633, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Farm Credit Administration Establishment of Farm Credit Administration as independent agency, and other changes in status, functions, etc., see Ex. Ord. No. 6084 set out preceding section 2241 of Title 12, Banks and Banking. See also section 2001 et seq. of Title 12.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 658

Title 18Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73