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

Summary

Makes it a federal crime to steal or trick a museum out of certain valuable or very old items. It is also a crime to knowingly buy, hide, display, or sell such an item when it was in fact taken from a museum, even if you did not know it came from that museum. Museum — a permanent U.S. place with a professional staff that exists for education or art, regularly shows and cares for physical objects, and whose activities affect interstate or foreign commerce. Object of cultural heritage — an item either over 100 years old and worth more than $5,000, or worth at least $100,000.

Title 18, §668

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In this section—

(1)“museum” means an organized and permanent institution, the activities of which affect interstate or foreign commerce, that—

(A)is situated in the United States;

(B)is established for an essentially educational or aesthetic purpose;

(C)has a professional staff; and

(D)owns, utilizes, and cares for tangible objects that are exhibited to the public on a regular schedule.

(2)“object of cultural heritage” means an object that is—

(A)over 100 years old and worth in excess of $5,000; or

(B)worth at least $100,000.

(b)A person who—

(1)steals or obtains by fraud from the care, custody, or control of a museum any object of cultural heritage; or

(2)knowing that an object of cultural heritage has been stolen or obtained by fraud, if in fact the object was stolen or obtained from the care, custody, or control of a museum (whether or not that fact is known to the person), receives, conceals, exhibits, or disposes of the object,

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–294 designated first and second pars. beginning with quotation mark as pars. (1) and (2), respectively, and made technical amendment to provisions appearing in original.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1996 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 104–294 effective Sept. 13, 1994, see section 604(d) of Pub. L. 104–294, set out as a note under section 13 of this title.

§668 Theft of major artwork