18 U.S.C. § 247 — Damage to religious property; obstruction of persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs

(a) It is a crime to intentionally deface, damage, or destroy religious real property, or try to, because of that property's religious character. It is also a crime to intentionally use force or the threat of force — including a threat against religious property — to stop someone from freely practicing their religion, or to try to. Either crime is punished as described in (d). (b) These crimes only count under this law if the offense happens in, or affects, interstate or foreign commerce. (c) It is a separate crime to intentionally deface, damage, or destroy religious real property because of the race, color, or ethnic background of someone connected to that property, or to try to. This crime is also punished as described in (d). (d) Punishment for breaking (a) or (c) depends on what happened: (1) If someone died, or the crime involved kidnapping or attempted kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt at it, or an attempted killing: a fine and imprisonment for any number of years or life, or the death penalty. (2) If someone's body was hurt — including a public safety officer doing their job — and the crime used fire or an explosive: a fine, or up to 40 years in prison, or both. (3) If someone's body was hurt (including a public safety officer), or the crime involved using, trying to use, or threatening a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire: a fine and up to 20 years, or both. (4) If the crime caused more than $5,000 in property damage: a fine and up to 3 years, or both. (5) In any other case: a fine and up to 1 year, or both. (e) The United States cannot prosecute anyone under this section unless the Attorney General, or someone the Attorney General picks, certifies in writing that prosecuting is in the public interest and needed for justice. (f) "Religious real property" means a church, synagogue, mosque, religious cemetery, or other religious real property. This includes fixtures or religious objects inside a place of worship, and property owned or leased by a nonprofit religious organization. (g) For crimes under this section that are not eligible for the death penalty, prosecution must begin within 7 years of the date the crime happened.