PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Using interstate travel, the mail, or other interstate or international services to hire someone to kill another person for money, or to be hired to kill someone for money, is a crime. Causing someone (including the intended victim) to travel or use those services for that purpose is also a crime. Planning or agreeing with someone else to do any of this is a crime. The basic penalty is up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine. If someone is injured, the penalty is up to 20 years and/or a fine. If someone is killed, the penalty is life in prison or death, and/or a fine up to $250,000. "Anything of pecuniary value" means things worth money, like cash, checks, business interests, or other items whose main value is financial. "Facility of interstate or foreign commerce" means ways of moving people or information across state or national lines, like transportation or communication. "State" includes U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories and possessions.

Title 18, §1958

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whoever travels in or causes another (including the intended victim) to travel in interstate or foreign commerce, or uses or causes another (including the intended victim) to use the mail or any facility of interstate or foreign commerce, with intent that a murder be committed in violation of the laws of any State or the United States as consideration for the receipt of, or as consideration for a promise or agreement to pay, anything of pecuniary value, or who conspires to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than ten years, or both; and if personal injury results, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than twenty years, or both; and if death results, shall be punished by death or life imprisonment, or shall be fined not more than $250,000, or both.

(b)As used in this section and section 1959—

(1)“anything of pecuniary value” means anything of value in the form of money, a negotiable instrument, a commercial interest, or anything else the primary significance of which is economic advantage;

(2)“facility of interstate or foreign commerce” includes means of transportation and communication; and

(3)“State” includes a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2004—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108–458, § 6704(1), substituted “facility of” for “facility in”. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 108–458, § 6704(2), inserted “or foreign” after “interstate”. 1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–294 substituted comma for “or who conspires to do so” after “or who conspires to do so” and substituted “this title or imprisoned” for “this title and imprisoned” before “for not more than twenty years”. 1994—Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(Q), which directed the amendment of this section by substituting “under this title” for “not more than $50,000”, could not be executed because the phrase “not more than $50,000” did not appear in text subsequent to amendment of subsec. (a) by Pub. L. 103–322, § 60003(a)(11). See below. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(N), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $20,000” after “injury results, shall be”. Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(L), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000” before “or imprisoned for not more than ten years”. Pub. L. 103–322, §§ 140007(b), 320105, each amended subsec. (a) by inserting “or who conspires to do so” after “anything of pecuniary value,”. Pub. L. 103–322, § 60003(a)(11), substituted “and if death results, shall be punished by death or life imprisonment, or shall be fined not more than $250,000, or both” for “and if death results, shall be subject to imprisonment for any term of years or for life, or shall be fined not more than $50,000, or both” before period at end. 1990—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101–647, § 3558, substituted “section 1959” for “section 1952B” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 101–647, § 1205(k), added par. (3). 1988—Pub. L. 100–690, § 7053(a), renumbered section 1952A of this title as this section. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7058(b), substituted “ten years” for “five years”.

§1958 Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-for-hire

Summary

Title 18, §1958

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Citations & Metadata