PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Makes it a federal crime for a company leader (president, director, officer, or manager) of a carrier that moves goods or people between states, or an employee riding on one of its vehicles, to steal, embezzle, misuse, or convert the carrier’s money or property that comes from or is used in interstate commerce. Someone convicted can be fined under federal law, jailed for up to 10 years, or both. The crime can be tried where it began or in any district where the person had the money or property. If a state court already convicted or acquitted the person for the same acts, federal prosecutors cannot try them again.

Title 18, §660

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever, being a president, director, officer, or manager of any firm, association, or corporation engaged in commerce as a common carrier, or whoever, being an employee of such common carrier riding in or upon any railroad car, motortruck, steamboat, vessel, aircraft or other vehicle of such carrier moving in interstate commerce, embezzles, steals, abstracts, or willfully misapplies, or willfully permits to be misapplied, any of the moneys, funds, credits, securities, property, or assets of such firm, association, or corporation arising or accruing from, or used in, such commerce, in whole or in part, or willfully or knowingly converts the same to his own use or to the use of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. The offense shall be deemed to have been committed not only in the district where the violation first occurred but also in any district in which the defendant may have taken or had possession of such moneys, funds, credits, securities, property or assets. A judgment of conviction or acquittal on the merits under the laws of any State shall be a bar to any prosecution hereunder for the same act or acts.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 409, 412 (Feb. 13, 1913, ch. 50, § 1, 37 Stat. 670; Oct. 15, 1914, ch. 323, § 9, 38 Stat. 733; Jan. 28, 1925, ch. 102, 43 Stat. 793; Jan. 21, 1933, ch. 16, 47 Stat. 773; July 24, 1946, ch. 606, 60 Stat. 656). Section consolidates a portion of section 409 with section 412, both of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. Other provisions of said section 409 are incorporated in section 659 and 2117 of this title. Definitive language in section 412 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., as to offense being a felony was deleted to conform with section 1 of this title. (See reviser’s note under section 550 of this title.) Words “imprisoned” was substituted for “confined in the penitentiary” in section 412 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., in view of power of Attorney General under section 4082 of this title. Minimum punishment provision “less than one year nor” in section 412 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., was omitted for reasons in reviser’s note under section 203 of this title. Maximum fine of $5,000 was substituted for minimum fine of $500 in section 412 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., as being more consonant with the scheme of penalties and offenses provided by Congress for most sections in this chapter. Sentence in section 412 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., “Nothing in this section shall be held to take away or impair the jurisdiction of the several courts under the laws thereof;”, was omitted in view of section 3231 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” in first par.

§660 Carrier’s Funds Derived From Commerce; State Prosecutions