§ 506. — Seals of departments or agencies.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC506]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 25--COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY
Sec. 506. Seals of departments or agencies
(a) Whoever--
(1) falsely makes, forges, counterfeits, mutilates, or alters
the seal of any department or agency of the United States, or any
facsimile thereof;
(2) knowingly uses, affixes, or impresses any such fraudulently
made, forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered seal or facsimile
thereof to or upon any certificate, instrument, commission,
document, or paper of any description; or
(3) with fraudulent intent, possesses, sells, offers for sale,
furnishes, offers to furnish, gives away, offers to give away,
transports, offers to transport, imports, or offers to import any
such seal or facsimile thereof, knowing the same to have been so
falsely made, forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered,
shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or
both.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) or any other provision of law, if
a forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered seal of a department or
agency of the United States, or any facsimile thereof, is--
(1) so forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered;
(2) used, affixed, or impressed to or upon any certificate,
instrument, commission, document, or paper of any description; or
(3) with fraudulent intent, possessed, sold, offered for sale,
furnished, offered to furnish, given away, offered to give away,
transported, offered to transport, imported, or offered to import,
with the intent or effect of facilitating an alien's application for, or
receipt of, a Federal benefit to which the alien is not entitled, the
penalties which may be imposed for each offense under subsection (a)
shall be two times the maximum fine, and 3 times the maximum term of
imprisonment, or both, that would otherwise be imposed for an offense
under subsection (a).
(c) For purposes of this section--
(1) the term ``Federal benefit'' means--
(A) the issuance of any grant, contract, loan, professional
license, or commercial license provided by any agency of the
United States or by appropriated funds of the United States; and
(B) any retirement, welfare, Social Security, health
(including treatment of an emergency medical condition in
accordance with section 1903(v) of the Social Security Act (19
\1\ U.S.C. 1396b(v))), disability, veterans, public housing,
education, food stamps, or unemployment benefit, or any similar
benefit for which payments or assistance are provided by an
agency of the United States or by appropriated funds of the
United States; and
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\1\ So in original. Probably should be ``42''.
(2) each instance of forgery, counterfeiting, mutilation, or
alteration shall constitute a separate offense under this section.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 714; Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII,
Sec. 330016(1)(K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 104-208, div.
C, title V, Sec. 561, Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009-681.)
Historical and revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Sec. 131 (June 15, 1917, ch.
30, title X, Sec. 2, 40 Stat. 228).
Reference to persons causing, procuring, aiding or assisting was
omitted as unnecessary as such persons are made principals by section 2
of this title.
In view of definitions of department and agency in section 6 of this
title, words ``department or agency'' in first paragraph were
substituted for ``executive department, or any bureau, commission, or
office''.
Provision for 10 years' imprisonment was reduced to 5 years to
conform to punishment provision in section 505 of this title, covering
an offense of like gravity.
Minor changes in phraseology were also made.
Amendments
1996--Pub. L. 104-208 reenacted section catchline without change and
amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows:
``Whoever falsely makes, forges, counterfeits, mutilates, or alters
the seal of any department or agency of the United States; or
``Whoever knowingly uses, affixes, or impresses any such
fraudulently made, forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered seal to
or upon any certificate, instrument, commission, document, or paper, of
any description; or
``Whoever, with fraudulent intent, possesses any such seal, knowing
the same to have been so falsely made, forged, counterfeited, mutilated,
or altered--
``Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five
years, or both.''
1994--Pub. L. 103-322 substituted ``fined under this title'' for
``fined not more than $5,000''.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 1717 of this title.
