50 U.S.C. § 3121 — Protection of identities of certain United States undercover intelligence officers, agents, informants, and sources

submitted 79 years ago by Pub. L. 97-200 to r/title-50-WAR-AND-NATIONAL-DEFENSE · 337 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

This section makes certain intentional disclosures identifying covert agents criminal offenses when the discloser has specified knowledge or access. Penalties range from three to 15 years, and imprisonment under the section runs consecutively.

(a) A person who has or had authorized access to classified information identifying a covert agent, intentionally tells an unauthorized recipient information identifying that agent, knows both what the information identifies and that the United States is taking affirmative steps to hide the agent’s intelligence relationship with the United States, may be fined under title 18, imprisoned for up to 15 years, or both. (b) A person who learns a covert agent’s identity because of authorized access to classified information and intentionally makes the same knowing disclosure may be fined under title 18, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both. (c) A person engaged in a pattern of activities intended to identify and expose covert agents, who has reason to believe the activities would impair or impede United States foreign intelligence, and who knowingly makes the same type of identifying disclosure to an unauthorized recipient while knowing the United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal the relationship, may be fined under title 18, imprisoned for up to three years, or both. (d) Any imprisonment imposed under this section must run consecutively to any other imprisonment sentence. “Covert agent” and the other terms used here are not defined by this section.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a) Disclosure of information by persons having or having had access to classified information that identifies covert agent

Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any information identifying such covert agent to any individual not authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert agent’s intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 15 years, or both.

(b) Disclosure of information by persons who learn identity of covert agents as result of having access to classified information

Whoever, as a result of having authorized access to classified information, learns the identity of a covert agent and intentionally discloses any information identifying such covert agent to any individual not authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert agent’s intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.

(c) Disclosure of information by persons in course of pattern of activities intended to identify and expose covert agents

Whoever, in the course of a pattern of activities intended to identify and expose covert agents and with reason to believe that such activities would impair or impede the foreign intelligence activities of the United States, discloses any information that identifies an individual as a covert agent to any individual not authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the information disclosed so identifies such individual and that the United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such individual’s classified intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

(d) Imposition of consecutive sentences

A term of imprisonment imposed under this section shall be consecutive to any other sentence of imprisonment.

Source credit: (July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title VI, § 601, as added Pub. L. 97–200, § 2(a), June 23, 1982, 96 Stat. 122; amended Pub. L. 106–120, title III, § 304(b), Dec. 3, 1999, 113 Stat. 1611; Pub. L. 111–259, title III, § 363(a), Oct. 7, 2010, 124 Stat. 2701.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1947Enacted · Pub. L. 97-200 · 96 Stat. 122
1999Amended · Pub. L. 106-120 · 113 Stat. 1611
2010Amended · Pub. L. 111-259 · 124 Stat. 2701

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 97-200 on 1947-07-26.

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