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Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102

§552 Officers Aiding Importation of Obscene or Treasonous Books and Articles

Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 27 — CUSTOMS › § 552

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Makes it a crime for a U.S. officer, agent, or employee who knowingly helps someone break laws about importing, advertising, selling, showing, mailing, or receiving obscene or indecent materials, or books, pictures, or other items that urge treason or insurrection, encourage forcible resistance to U.S. laws, threaten to kill or hurt someone in the United States, or provide means to obtain an abortion, or other indecent or immoral items. A person who does this can be fined under federal law or jailed for up to ten years, or both.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §552

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, being an officer, agent, or employee of the United States, knowingly aids or abets any person engaged in any violation of any of the provisions of law prohibiting importing, advertising, dealing in, exhibiting, or sending or receiving by mail obscene or indecent publications or representations, or books, pamphlets, papers, writings, advertisements, circulars, prints, pictures, or drawings containing any matter advocating or urging treason or insurrection against the United States or forcible resistance to any law of the United States, or containing any threat to take the life of or inflict bodily harm upon any person in the United States, or means for procuring abortion, or other articles of indecent or immoral use or tendency, 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 section 1305(b) of title 19, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Customs Duties (June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title III, § 305(b), 46 Stat. 688). In view of definition of misdemeanor in section 1 of this title words “shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and” were omitted. Words “at hard labor” after “imprisonment” were omitted. (See reviser’s note under section 1 of this title.) Changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”. 1971—Pub. L. 91–662 struck out “preventing conception or” before “procuring abortion”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1971 Amendment Pub. L. 91–662, § 7, Jan. 8, 1971, 84 Stat. 1974, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this Act (other than by section 6) [amending this section, section 1461 and 1462 of this title, and section 1305 of Title 19, Customs Duties] shall take effect on the day after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 8, 1971].”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 552

Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102