§ 501. — Postage stamps, postage meter stamps, and postal cards.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC501]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 25--COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY
Sec. 501. Postage stamps, postage meter stamps, and postal cards
Whoever forges or counterfeits any postage stamp, postage meter
stamp, or any stamp printed upon any stamped envelope, or postal card,
or any die, plate, or engraving thereof; or
Whoever makes or prints, or knowingly uses or sells, or possesses
with intent to use or sell, any such forged or counterfeited postage
stamp, postage meter stamp, stamped envelope, postal card, die, plate,
or engraving; or
Whoever makes, or knowingly uses or sells, or possesses with intent
to use or sell, any paper bearing the watermark of any stamped envelope,
or postal card, or any fraudulent imitation thereof; or
Whoever makes or prints, or authorizes to be made or printed, any
postage stamp, postage meter stamp, stamped envelope, or postal card, of
the kind authorized and provided by the Post Office Department or by the
Postal Service, without the special authority and direction of the
Department or Postal Service; or
Whoever after such postage stamp, postage meter stamp, stamped
envelope, or postal card has been printed, with intent to defraud,
delivers the same to any person not authorized by an instrument in
writing, duly executed under the hand of the Postmaster General and the
seal of the Post Office Department or the Postal Service, to receive
it--
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five
years, or both.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 713; Pub. L. 91-375, Sec. 6(j)(6),
Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 777; Pub. L. 91-448, Sec. 1(a), Oct. 14, 1970,
84 Stat. 920; Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(G), Sept.
13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Sec. 348 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch.
321, Sec. 219, 35 Stat. 1132).
Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary
in view of definition of ``principal'' in section 2 of this title.
Minor changes of phraseology were made.
Amendments
1994--Pub. L. 103-322 substituted ``fined under this title'' for
``fined not more than $500'' in last par.
1970--Pub. L. 91-448 inserted references to the Postal Service and
to postage meter stamps. Pub. L. 91-448, Sec. 1(b), repealed section
6(j)(6) of the Postal Reorganization Act, Pub. L. 91-375, Aug. 12, 1970,
84 Stat. 719, by which the references to the Postal Service had been
inserted earlier.
Pub. L. 91-375 inserted ``or by the Postal Service,'' after ``Post
Office Department,'' and substituted ``the Department or Postal
Service'' for ``said department'' in fourth par. and struck out the
comma after ``stamped envelope'' and ``to defraud'' and inserted ``or
the Postal Service'' after ``Post Office Department'' in fifth par.
Change of Name
Post Office Department redesignated United States Postal Service
pursuant to Pub. L. 91-375, Sec. 6(o), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 733, set
out as a note preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.
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.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 981, 982, 1956 of this
title.
