Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73not60

§1040 Fraud in Connection with Major Disaster or Emergency Benefits

Title 18 › Part I— CRIMES › Chapter 47— FRAUD AND FALSE STATEMENTS › § 1040

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Makes it a crime to, on purpose, lie, hide important facts, or use fake papers or statements about a benefit when one of these three things is true: (1) the benefit’s approval, movement, transfer, or payment crosses state lines or affects trade with other countries; (2) the benefit is mailed at any point; or (3) the benefit is a record, voucher, payment, money, or thing of value of the United States or any of its departments or agencies. Benefit = any record, voucher, payment, money, thing of value, good, service, right, or privilege provided by the United States, a state or local government, or another entity.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §1040

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whoever, in a circumstance described in subsection (b) of this section, knowingly—

(1)falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device any material fact; or

(2)makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation, or makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation,

(b)A circumstance described in this subsection is any instance where—

(1)the authorization, transportation, transmission, transfer, disbursement, or payment of the benefit is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce;

(2)the benefit is transported in the mail at any point in the authorization, transportation, transmission, transfer, disbursement, or payment of that benefit; or

(3)the benefit is a record, voucher, payment, money, or thing of value of the United States, or of any department or agency thereof.

(c)In this section, the term “benefit” means any record, voucher, payment, money or thing of value, good, service, right, or privilege provided by the United States, a State or local government, or other entity.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 1040

Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60