Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-110
§1351 Fraud in Foreign Labor Contracting
Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 63 — MAIL FRAUD AND OTHER FRAUD OFFENSES › § 1351
Summary
Makes it a crime to knowingly and intentionally hire or try to hire people abroad by using serious lies or false promises about a job, whether the work is in the United States or on U.S. government contracts or bases abroad. Penalty: fine, imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §1351
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Work Inside the United States.—
Whoever knowingly and with intent to defraud recruits, solicits, or hires a person outside the United States or causes another person to recruit, solicit, or hire a person outside the United States, or attempts to do so, for purposes of employment in the United States by means of materially false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises regarding that employment shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.
(b)Work Outside the United States.—
Whoever knowingly and with intent to defraud recruits, solicits, or hires a person outside the United States or causes another person to recruit, solicit, or hire a person outside the United States, or attempts to do so, for purposes of employment performed on a United States Government contract performed outside the United States, or on a United States military installation or mission outside the United States or other property or premises outside the United States owned or controlled by the United States Government, by means of materially false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises regarding that employment, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2013—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 112–239, § 1706(a)(1), which directed substitution of “(a) Work Inside the United States.—Whoever knowingly and with intent to defraud recruits, solicits, or hires a person outside the United States or causes another person to recruit, solicit, or hire a person outside the United States, or attempts to do so,” for “Whoever knowingly and with the intent to defraud recruits, solicits or hires a person outside the United States”, was executed by making the substitution for “Whoever knowingly and with intent to defraud recruits, solicits or hires a person outside the United States” to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–239, § 1706(a)(2), added subsec. (b).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2013 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 112–239 effective Jan. 2, 2013 and applicable to conduct taking place on or after Jan. 2, 2013, see section 7104d(c)(3) of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 1351
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110