18 U.S.C. § 288
False claims for postal losses
United States · Title 18 — CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE · Status: effective
Cite this
- Citation
- 18 U.S.C. § 288, False claims for postal losses, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/448771
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Full text
Whoever makes, alleges, or presents any claim or application for indemnity for the loss of any registered or insured letter, parcel, package, or other article or matter, or the contents thereof, knowing such claim or application to be false, fictitious, or fraudulent; or
Whoever for the purpose of obtaining or aiding to obtain the payment or approval of any such claim or application, makes or uses any false statement, certificate, affidavit, or deposition; or
Whoever knowingly and willfully misrepresents, or misstates, or, for the purpose aforesaid, knowingly and willfully conceals any material fact or circumstance in respect of any such claim or application for indemnity—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Where the amount of such claim or application for indemnity is less than $1,000 only a fine shall be imposed.
Legislative history
The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone. The law that originally enacted this section predates the public laws loaded here, so only later amendments are listed.
- Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
- Economic Espionage Act of 1996House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally