Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102

§3 Accessory After the Fact

Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 1 — GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 3

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Helping someone you know committed a federal crime avoid arrest, trial, or punishment makes you an accessory. Unless another federal law says otherwise, the penalty is up to half the offender’s maximum term or fine, or 15 years if the offender faces life or death.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §3

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, knowing that an offense against the United States has been committed, receives, relieves, comforts or assists the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial or punishment, is an accessory after the fact. Except as otherwise expressly provided by any Act of Congress, an accessory after the fact shall be imprisoned not more than one-half the maximum term of imprisonment or (notwithstanding section 3571) fined not more than one-half the maximum fine prescribed for the punishment of the principal, or both; or if the principal is punishable by life imprisonment or death, the accessory shall be imprisoned not more than 15 years.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 551 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 333, 35 Stat. 1152). The first paragraph is new. It is based upon authority of Skelly v. United States (C. C. A. Okl. 1935, 76 F. 2d 483, certiorari denied, 1935, 55 S. Ct. 914, 295 U.S. 757, 79 L. Ed. 1699), where the court defined an accessory after the fact as— one who knowing a felony to have been committed by another, receives, relieves, comforts, or assists the felon in order to hinder the felon’s apprehension, trial, or punishment— and cited Jones’ Blackstone, books 3 and 4, page 2204; U.S. v. Hartwell (Fed. Cas. No. 15,318); Albritton v. State (32 Fla. 358, 13 So. 955); State v. Davis (14 R. I. 281); Schleeter v. Commonwealth (218 Ky. 72, 290 S. W. 1075). (See also State v. Potter, 1942, 221 N. C. 153, 19 S. E. 2d 257; Hunter v. State, 1935, 128 Tex. Cr. R. 191, 79 S. W. 2d 855; State v. Wells, 1940, 195 La. 754, 197 So. 419.) The second paragraph is from section 551 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. Here only slight changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(2)(A), inserted “(notwithstanding section 3571)” before “fined not more than one-half” in second par. Pub. L. 103–322, § 330011(h), amended directory language of Pub. L. 101–647, § 3502. See 1990 Amendment note below. 1990—Pub. L. 101–647, as amended by Pub. L. 103–322, § 330011(h), substituted “15 years” for “ten years” in second par. 1986—Pub. L. 99–646 inserted “life imprisonment or” in second par.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1994 Amendment Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330011(h), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2145, provided that the amendment made by that section is effective as of Nov. 29, 1990.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 3

Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102