Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102

§509 Possessing and Making Plates or Stones for Government Transportation Requests

Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 25 — COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY › § 509

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

It is a crime to, without legal permission, have, control, make, use, copy, sell, or bring into the United States any plate, stone, tool, or item used to print official government transportation request forms, or to make or sell images or reproductions that look like those official forms or parts of them. If you do any of those things, you can be fined under federal law, put in prison for up to ten years, or both.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §509

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, except by lawful authority, controls, holds or possesses any plate, stone, or other thing, or any part thereof, from which has been printed or may be printed any form or request for Government transportation, or uses such plate, stone, or other thing, or knowingly permits or suffers the same to be used in making any such form or request or any part of such a form or request; or Whoever makes or engraves any plate, stone, or thing, in the likeness of any plate, stone, or thing designated for the printing of the genuine issues of the form or request for Government transportation; or Whoever prints, photographs, or in any other manner makes, executes, or sells any engraving, photograph, print, or impression in the likeness of any genuine form or request for Government transportation, or any part thereof; or Whoever brings into the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof, any plate, stone, or other thing, or engraving, photograph, print, or other impression of the form or request for Government transportation— 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., § 147 (Dec. 11, 1926, ch. 2, § 2, 44 Stat. 918). References to persons causing, procuring, aiding or assisting were omitted as unnecessary as such persons are made principals by section 2 of this title. Words “upon conviction” in last paragraph were omitted as surplusage since punishment cannot be imposed until a conviction is secured. Minor changes in phraseology were also made.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000” in last par.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 509

Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102