[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC879]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 41--EXTORTION AND THREATS
Sec. 879. Threats against former Presidents and certain other
persons
(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully threatens to kill, kidnap, or
inflict bodily harm upon--
(1) a former President or a member of the immediate family of a
former President;
(2) a member of the immediate family of the President, the
President-elect, the Vice President, or the Vice President-elect;
(3) a major candidate for the office of President or Vice
President, or a member of the immediate family of such candidate; or
(4) a person protected by the Secret Service under section
3056(a)(6);
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or
both.
(b) As used in this section--
(1) the term ``immediate family'' means--
(A) with respect to subsection (a)(1) of this section, the
wife of a former President during his lifetime, the widow of a
former President until her death or remarriage, and minor
children of a former President until they reach sixteen years of
age; and
(B) with respect to subsection (a)(2) and (a)(3) of this
section, a person to whom the President, President-elect, Vice
President, Vice President-elect, or major candidate for the
office of President or Vice President--
(i) is related by blood, marriage, or adoption; or
(ii) stands in loco parentis;
(2) the term ``major candidate for the office of President or
Vice President'' means a candidate referred to in subsection (a)(7)
of section 3056 of this title; and
(3) the terms ``President-elect'' and ``Vice President-elect''
have the meanings given those terms in section 871(b) of this title.
(Added Pub. L. 97-297, Sec. 1(a), Oct. 12, 1982, 96 Stat. 1317; amended
Pub. L. 98-587, Sec. 3(a), Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 3111; Pub. L. 103-
322, title XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147;
Pub. L. 106-544, Sec. 2(a), (b)(1), Dec. 19, 2000, 114 Stat. 2715.)
Amendments
2000--Pub. L. 106-544, Sec. 2(b)(1), struck out ``protected by the
Secret Service'' after ``other persons'' in section catchline.
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106-544, Sec. 2(a)(1)-(4), in par. (3),
substituted ``a member of the immediate family'' for ``the spouse'',
added par. (4), and, in concluding provisions, struck out ``who is
protected by the Secret Service as provided by law,'' before ``shall be
fined'' and sub
