§ 912. — Officer or employee of the United States.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC912]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 43--FALSE PERSONATION
Sec. 912. Officer or employee of the United States
Whoever falsely assumes or pretends to be an officer or employee
acting under the authority of the United States or any department,
agency or officer thereof, and acts as such, or in such pretended
character demands or obtains any money, paper, document, or thing of
value, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three
years, or both.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 742; Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII,
Sec. 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Secs. 76 and 123 (Mar. 4, 1909,
ch. 321, Secs. 32 and 66, 35 Stat. 1095, 1100; Feb. 28, 1938, ch. 37, 52
Stat. 82).
Section consolidates sections 76 and 123 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940
ed. The effect of this consolidation was to increase the punishment for
revenue officers from $500 to $1,000 and from 2 years to 3 years, and to
rephrase in the alternative the mandatory punishment provision.
This section now applies the same punishment to all officers and
agents of the United States found guilty of false personation.
Words ``agency or'' were inserted to eliminate any possible
ambiguity as to scope of section. (See definitive section 6 of this
title.) Other words referring to ``authority of any corporation owned or
controlled by the United States'' were omitted for the same reason. (See
Pierce v. U.S., 1941, 62 S. Ct. 237, 314 U.S. 306, 86 L. Ed. 226.)
The words ``with the intent to defraud the United States or any
person'', contained in said section 76 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed.,
were omitted as meaningless in view of United States v. Lapowich, 63 S.
Ct. 914.
Changes were made in phraseology.
Amendments
1994--Pub. L. 103-322 substituted ``fined under this title'' for
``fined not more than $1,000''.
