18 U.S.C. § 642: Tools and materials for…

Summary

Taking or hiding certain U.S. government printing tools or paper without permission from the U.S. government is a crime. That includes stealing tools used to stamp or print government papers or tools used to make those tools, taking blank paper or parchment meant to become government documents, and taking printed or stamped sheets that are meant to be issued by the United States or look like those documents. Examples include items like bonds, bills, notes, certificates, and stamps. A person guilty of this can be fined, jailed for up to 10 years, or both.

Title 18, §642

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, without authority from the United States, secretes within, or embezzles, or takes and carries away from any building, room, office, apartment, vault, safe, or other place where the same is kept, used, employed, placed, lodged, or deposited by authority of the United States, any tool, implement, or thing used or fitted to be used in stamping or printing, or in making some other tool or implement used or fitted to be used in stamping or printing any kind or description of bond, bill, note, certificate, coupon, postage stamp, revenue stamp, fractional currency note, or other paper, instrument, obligation, device, or document, authorized by law to be printed, stamped, sealed, prepared, issued, uttered, or put in circulation on behalf of the United States; or Whoever, without such authority, so secretes, embezzles, or takes and carries away any paper, parchment, or other material prepared and intended to be used in the making of any such papers, instruments, obligations, devices, or documents; or Whoever, without such authority, so secretes, embezzles, or takes and carries away any paper, parchment, or other material printed or stamped, in whole or part, and intended to be prepared, issued, or put in circulation on behalf of the United States as one of such papers, instruments, or obligations, or printed or stamped, in whole or part, in the similitude of any such paper, instrument, or obligation, whether intended to issue or put the same in circulation or not— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 269 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 155, 35 Stat. 1117). Words “bed piece, bed-plate, roll, plate, die, seal, type, or other” were omitted as covered by “tool, implement, or thing.” Minor changes in phraseology were made.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

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

§642 Tools and Materials for Counterfeiting Purposes