§1861 — Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure | U.S. Code

Summary

Anyone who, for pay or a promise of pay, offers to find public U.S. land for a person trying to buy or claim it, and who lies about the land being public or about its surveyed location to trick that person—or who carelessly ignores the truth and so deceives them—can be fined under federal law, jailed for up to one year, or both.

Title 18, §1861

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, for a reward paid or promised to him in that behalf, undertakes to locate for an intending purchaser, settler, or entryman any public lands of the United States subject to disposition under the public-land laws, and who willfully and falsely represents to such intending purchaser, settler, or entryman that any tract of land shown to him is public land of the United States subject to sale, settlement, or entry, or that it is of a particular surveyed description, with intent to deceive the person to whom such representation is made, or who, in reckless disregard of the truth, falsely represents to any such person that any tract of land shown to him is public land of the United States subject to sale, settlement, or entry, or that it is of a particular surveyed description, thereby deceiving the person to whom such representation is made, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 114 (Feb. 23, 1917, ch. 115, 39 Stat. 936). Words “deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and” which preceded “punished” were omitted as unnecessary in view of definitive section 1 of this title. Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $300”.

§1861 Deception of Prospective Purchasers