18 U.S.C. § 641 — Public money, property or records

A person commits an offense if the person embezzles, steals, takes, or knowingly converts for the person's own use or another person's use, or without authority sells, conveys, or disposes of, any United States record, voucher, money, or thing of value, or any such item belonging to a United States department^* or agency^*. The same applies to property made or being made under a contract for the United States or one of its departments or agencies. A person also commits an offense by receiving, concealing, or keeping such property while intending to convert it for personal use or gain and knowing that it was embezzled, stolen, taken, or converted. The person may be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both. But if the property's total value, adding amounts from all counts for which the defendant is convicted in one case, is no more than $1,000, the person may be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. “Value” means face value, par value, market value, or wholesale or retail cost price, whichever is greater.