Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102
§494 Contractors’ Bonds, Bids, and Public Records
Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 25 — COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY › § 494
Summary
Making, changing, or using fake government papers—like bids, contracts, bonds, public records, or affidavits—to cheat the United States, or sending or showing them while knowing they are false, is a crime. Penalty is a fine, up to 10 years in prison, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §494
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits any bond, bid, proposal, contract, guarantee, security, official bond, public record, affidavit, or other writing for the purpose of defrauding the United States; or Whoever utters or publishes as true or possesses with intent to utter or publish as true, any such false, forged, altered, or counterfeited writing, knowing the same to be false, forged, altered, or counterfeited; or Whoever transmits to, or presents at any office or to any officer of the United States, any such false, forged, altered, or counterfeited writing, knowing the same to be false, forged, altered, or counterfeited— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 72 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 28, 35 Stat. 1094). Reference to persons causing, procuring, aiding or assisting was omitted as unnecessary as such persons are made principals by section 2 of this title. Changes were also made in phraseology.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000”.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 494
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102