§2155 — Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure | U.S. Code

Summary

On purpose damaging, destroying, contaminating, or infecting materials, places, or services used for U.S. national defense — or trying to do so with the intent to injure, interfere with, or obstruct defense — is a federal crime. The punishment can be a fine or up to 20 years in prison. If someone dies, the punishment can be any term of years or life. If two or more people plan this crime and at least one of them does something to carry out the plan, each person involved can be punished the same way.

Title 18, §2155

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whoever, with intent to injure, interfere with, or obstruct the national defense of the United States, willfully injures, destroys, contaminates or infects, or attempts to so injure, destroy, contaminate or infect any national-defense material, national-defense premises, or national-defense utilities, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and, if death results to any person, shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life.

(b)If two or more persons conspire to violate this section, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be punished as provided in subsection (a) of this section.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on section 105 of title 50, U.S.C., 1940 ed., War and National Defense (Apr. 20, 1918, ch. 59, § 5, as added Nov. 30, 1940, ch. 926, 54 Stat. 1221). Words “upon conviction thereof” were omitted as unnecessary, since punishment cannot be imposed until a conviction is secured. Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2001—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–56 substituted “20 years” for “ten years” and inserted “, and, if death results to any person, shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life” before period at end. 1996—Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “, or” for “or” in section catchline. 1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000”. 1954—Act Sept. 3, 1954, inserted conspiracy provisions.

§2155 Destruction of National-defense Materials, National-defense Premises, or National-defense Utilities