18 U.S.C. § 668: Theft of major artwork

Summary

Makes it a federal crime to steal certain valuable or old items from museums or to handle them if you know they were stolen. A museum here means a permanent U.S. place with a professional staff that cares for and shows physical objects to the public. An "object of cultural heritage" is an item that is either over 100 years old and worth more than $5,000, or worth at least $100,000. Stealing such an item, or knowingly receiving, hiding, showing, or selling it when you know it was stolen (even if you did not know it came from a museum), can bring a federal fine, up to 10 years in prison, or both.

Title 18, §668

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Definitions.—

In this section

(1)

(2)“object of cultural heritage” means an object that is—

(A)over 100 years old and worth in excess of $5,000; or

(B)worth at least $100,000.

(b)Offenses.—

A person who—

(1)steals or obtains by fraud from the care, custody, or control of a museum any object of cultural heritage; or

(2)knowing that an object of cultural heritage has been stolen or obtained by fraud, if in fact the object was stolen or obtained from the care, custody, or control of a museum (whether or not that fact is known to the person), receives, conceals, exhibits, or disposes of the object,

shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–294 designated first and second pars. beginning with quotation mark as pars. (1) and (2), respectively, and made technical amendment to provisions appearing in original.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1996 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 104–294 effective Sept. 13, 1994, see section 604(d) of Pub. L. 104–294, set out as a note under section 13 of this title.

§668 Theft of Major Artwork