§ 1709. — Theft of mail matter by officer or employee.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC1709]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 83--POSTAL SERVICE
Sec. 1709. Theft of mail matter by officer or employee
Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, embezzles any
letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing
contained therein entrusted to him or which comes into his possession
intended to be conveyed by mail, or carried or delivered by any carrier,
messenger, agent, or other person employed in any department of the
Postal Service, or forwarded through or delivered from any post office
or station thereof established by authority of the Postmaster General or
of the Postal Service; or steals, abstracts, or removes from any such
letter, package, bag, or mail, any article or thing contained therein,
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years,
or both.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 780; Pub. L. 91-375, Sec. 6(j)(19)(A),
Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 778; Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII,
Sec. 330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Sec. 318 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch.
321, Sec. 195, 35 Stat. 1125).
The provisions of said section 318 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed.,
were incorporated in this section and section 1703 of this title.
The fine of ``$500'' was increased to ``$2,000'' as more
proportionate to the imprisonment provision and to conform with other
comparable sections. (See sections 1702 and 1708 of this title.)
Changes were made in phraseology.
Amendments
1994--Pub. L. 103-322 substituted ``fined under this title'' for
``fined not more than $2,000''.
1970--Pub. L. 91-375 substituted ``officer'' for ``postmaster'' in
section catchline, and in text substituted ``Postal Service officer or
employee'' for ``postmaster or Postal Service employee'' and
``entrusted'' for ``intrusted'' and inserted ``or of the Postal
Service'' after ``Postmaster General''.
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.
