§5608 — Title 26 Internal Revenue Code | U.S. Code

§5608 Penalty and forfeiture for fraudulent claims for export drawback or unlawful relanding

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle E— - Alcohol, Tobacco, and Certain Other Excise Taxes › Chapter CHAPTER 51— - DISTILLED SPIRITS, WINES, AND BEER › Subchapter Subchapter J— - Penalties, Seizures, and Forfeitures Relating to Liquors › Part PART I— - PENALTY, SEIZURE, AND FORFEITURE PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO DISTILLING, RECTIFYING, AND DISTILLED AND RECTIFIED PRODUCTS › § 5608

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

If a person lies to get a drawback (a tax refund) on distilled spirits (liquor) or claims more drawback than the tax actually paid, they must pay the government three times the wrongfully claimed amount and can be jailed for up to 5 years. An owner, captain, or anyone who knowingly helps that fraud can be fined up to $5,000, jailed up to 3 years, or both, and the ship involved can be seized by the United States through a maritime legal action. If someone brings back into the United States spirits that were shipped for export to cheat the government, or accepts or helps with those relanded spirits, they face the same $5,000 fine and up to 3 years in jail, and the relanded spirits and any vessels, vehicles, or aircraft used will be seized.

Title 26, §5608

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Every person who fraudulently claims, or seeks, or obtains an allowance of drawback on any distilled spirits, or fraudulently claims any greater allowance or drawback than the tax actually paid or determined thereon, shall forfeit and pay to the Government of the United States triple the amount wrongfully and fraudulently sought to be obtained, and shall be imprisoned not more than 5 years; and every owner, agent, or master of any vessel or other person who knowingly aids or abets in the fraudulent collection or fraudulent attempts to collect any drawback upon, or knowingly aids or permits any fraudulent change in the spirits so shipped, shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned not more than 3 years, or both, and the ship or vessel on board of which such shipment was made or pretended to be made shall be forfeited to the United States, whether a conviction of the master or owner be had or otherwise, and proceedings may be had in admiralty by libel for such forfeiture.

(b)Every person who, with intent to defraud the United States, relands within the jurisdiction of the United States any distilled spirits which have been shipped for exportation under the provisions of this chapter, or who receives such relanded distilled spirits, and every person who aids or abets in such relanding or receiving of such spirits, shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned not more than 3 years, or both; and all distilled spirits so relanded, together with the vessel from which the same were relanded within the jurisdiction of the United States, and all vessels, vehicles, or aircraft used in relanding and removing such distilled spirits, shall be forfeited to the United States.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 5608, act Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 685, related to penalty for making or fermenting mash on unauthorized premises, illegal use of spirits, unlawful removal of vinegar, etc., prior to the general revision of this chapter by Pub. L. 85–859. See section 5505(i), 5601(a)(7), (8), (9)(A), (12), 5615(4), and 5687 of this title. Provisions similar to those comprising this section were contained in prior section 5648, act Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 694, prior to the general revision of this chapter by Pub. L. 85–859.

Amendments

1965—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 89–44 substituted “, with intent to defraud the United States,” for “intentionally” after “Every person who”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1965 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 89–44 effective July 1, 1965, see section 805(g)(1) of Pub. L. 89–44, set out as a note under section 5008 of this title.