Title 49, TransportationRelease 119-110

§80501 Damage to Transported Property

Title 49 › SUBTITLE X — MISCELLANEOUS › CHAPTER 805 — MISCELLANEOUS › § 80501

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Willfully damaging or attempting to damage property carried by air, motor, or rail across state lines or abroad is a federal crime. It can bring a fine under title 18, up to 10 years in prison, or both. A shipping document counts as proof of where the property came from and where it was going. If a State, D.C., or territorial court already decided the matter on the merits, the person cannot be federally prosecuted for the same act.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §80501

Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Criminal Penalty.—
A person willfully damaging, or attempting to damage, property in the possession of an air carrier, motor carrier, or rail carrier and being transported in interstate or foreign commerce, shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both. In a criminal proceeding under this section, a shipping document for the property is prima facie evidence of the places to which and from which the property was being transported.
(b)Prohibition Against Multiple Prosecutions for Same Act.—
A person may not be prosecuted for an act under this section when the person has been convicted or acquitted on the merits for the same act under the laws of a State, the District of Columbia, or a territory or possession of the United States.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 80501(a)15:1281.Sept. 13, 1961, Pub. L. 87–221, 75 Stat. 494. 80501(b)15:1282. In subsection (a), the words “A person . . . shall be fined under title 18” are substituted for “It shall be unlawful for any person” and “Whoever violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall be fined not more than $5,000” to eliminate unnecessary words and for consistency with title 18. The word “damaging” is substituted for “destroy or injure” because it is inclusive. The words “air carrier, motor carrier, or rail carrier” are substituted for “common or contract carrier by railroad, motor vehicle, or aircraft”, and the words “being transported” are substituted for “moving”, for consistency in the revised title. The words “In a criminal proceeding under this section” are substituted for “To establish the interstate or foreign commerce character of any property involved in any prosecution under this section” to eliminate unnecessary words. The words “shipping document” are substituted for “waybill or similar shipping document” because they are inclusive. In subsection (b), the words “A person may not be prosecuted for an act under this section when the person has been convicted or acquitted on the merits for the same act” are substituted for “A judgment of conviction or acquittal on the merits . . . shall be a bar to any prosecution under this chapter for the same act or acts” for clarity. The word “territory” is added for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code. The words “or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico” are omitted as unnecessary because of 48:734.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 80501

Title 49, Transportation

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110