§ 1703. — Delay or destruction of mail or newspapers.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC1703]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 83--POSTAL SERVICE
Sec. 1703. Delay or destruction of mail or newspapers
(a) Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, unlawfully
secretes, destroys, detains, delays, or opens any letter, postal card,
package, bag, or mail entrusted to him or which shall come into his
possession, and which was intended to be conveyed by mail, or carried or
delivered by any carrier or other employee of the Postal Service, or
forwarded through or delivered from any post office or station thereof
established by authority of the Postmaster General or the Postal
Service, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than
five years, or both.
(b) Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, improperly
detains, delays, or destroys any newspaper, or permits any other person
to detain, delay, or destroy the same, or opens, or permits any other
person to open, any mail or package of newspapers not directed to the
office where he is employed; or
Whoever, without authority, opens, or destroys any mail or package
of newspapers not directed to him, shall be fined under this title or
imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 778; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, Sec. 37,
63 Stat. 95; Pub. L. 91-375, Sec. 6(j)(16), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 778;
Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(B), (G), Sept. 13, 1994,
108 Stat. 2146, 2147.)
Historical and Revision Notes
1948 Act
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Secs. 318, 319 (Mar. 4, 1909,
ch. 321, Secs. 195, 196, 35 Stat. 1125, 1126).
Section consolidated sections 318 and 319 of said title 18, U.S.C.,
1940 ed. The embezzlement and theft provisions of each were incorporated
in sections 1709 and 1710 of this title.
Minor changes were made in phraseology.
1949 Act
This section [section 37] corrects typographical errors in section
1703 of title 18, U.S.C.
Amendments
1994--Pub. L. 103-322 substituted ``fined under this title'' for
``fined not more than $500'' in subsec. (a) and ``fined under this
title'' for ``fined not more than $100'' in last par.
1970--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 91-375, Sec. 6(j)(16)(A), amended subsec.
(a) generally, which prior to amendment read as follows: ``Whoever,
being a postmaster or Postal Service employee, unlawfully detains,
delays, or opens any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail
intrusted to him or which shall come into his possession, and which was
intended to be conveyed by mail, or carried or delivered by any carrier
or other employee of the Postal Service, or forwarded through or
delivered from any post office or station thereof established by
authority of the Postmaster General; or secretes, or destroys any such
letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, shall be fined not more than
$500 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.''
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 91-375, Sec. 6(j)(16)(B), substituted ``Postal
Service officer or employee'' for ``postmaster or Postal Service
employee''.
1949--Subsec. (a). Act May 24, 1949, Sec. 37(a), substituted
``secretes'' for ``secrets''.
Subsec. (b). Act May 24, 1949, Sec. 37(b), substituted
``newspapers'' for ``newspaper''.
Effective Date of 1970 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 91-375 effective within 1 year after Aug. 12,
1970, on date established therefor by Board of Governors of United
States Postal Service and published by it in Federal Register, see
section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91-375, set out as an Effective Date note
preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.
