§1658 — Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure | U.S. Code

Summary

Taking money, goods, or other property from a ship that is in trouble, wrecked, stranded, or cast away in U.S. maritime areas is a crime. A person who does this can be fined, put in prison for up to 10 years, or both. Deliberately blocking someone trying to save themselves from such a ship, or using fake lights or putting out real lights to cause a ship to be wrecked or put in danger, is far more serious. A person who does that must be jailed at least 10 years and could be sent to prison for life.

Title 18, §1658

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whoever plunders, steals, or destroys any money, goods, merchandise, or other effects from or belonging to any vessel in distress, or wrecked, lost, stranded, or cast away, upon the sea, or upon any reef, shoal, bank, or rocks of the sea, or in any other place within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

(b)Whoever willfully obstructs the escape of any person endeavoring to save his life from such vessel, or the wreck thereof; orWhoever holds out or shows any false light, or extinguishes any true light, with intent to bring any vessel sailing upon the sea into danger or distress or shipwreck— Shall be imprisoned not less than ten years and may be imprisoned for life.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 488 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 297, 35 Stat. 1146). Mandatory punishment provision in subsection (a) was rephrased in the alternative. Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”.

§1658 Plunder of Distressed Vessel