§1704 Keys or Locks Stolen or Reproduced

Summary

Anyone who steals, lies to get, embezzles, or otherwise takes a key that opens locks used by the Post Office or Postal Service for mail, mail bags, lock boxes, drawers, or other official mail containers, or who knowingly makes, forges, or copies such a key, or who has one intending to use, sell, or give it away for a wrongful purpose, commits a crime. A contractor or maker who gives a finished or unfinished postal lock, internal part, or key to someone not authorized by the Postmaster General is also guilty, unless the receiver is the contractor meant to get it, the maker acting under the contract, or the maker’s authorized agent. Conviction can bring a federal fine, up to ten years in prison, or both.