18 U.S.C. § 1720 — Canceled stamps and envelopes
submitted 78 years ago by ch. 645 to r/title-18-CRIMES-AND-CRIMINAL-PROCEDURE · 215 words · no verdicts yet
The section makes it a crime to reuse canceled postage, remove cancellation marks to reuse or sell postage, unlawfully remove stamps from mail, or knowingly reuse postage items. The penalty is a fine, up to one year in prison, or both; Postal Service employees may receive up to three years.
A person commits an offense by doing any of the following: using or trying to use a canceled postage stamp to pay postage, whether or not it was previously used; removing or trying to remove cancellation or defacing marks from a postage stamp, or the inscription from a stamped envelope or postal card, after it was used for postage, intending to reuse or sell it; knowingly possessing any such item intending to reuse it; knowingly selling or offering it for sale; using or trying to use it for postage; unlawfully and willfully removing a postage stamp from mail; or knowingly using for postage a postage stamp, postal card, or stamped envelope issued under law that was already used for postage. The person may be fined under this title, imprisoned for up to one year, or both. If the person is employed in the Postal Service*, the person may instead be fined under this title, imprisoned for up to three years, or both.
Whoever uses or attempts to use in payment of postage, any canceled postage stamp, whether the same has been used or not, or removes, attempts to remove, or assists in removing, the canceling or defacing marks from any postage stamp, or the superscription from any stamped envelope, or postal card, that has once been used in payment of postage, with the intent to use the same for a like purpose, or to sell or offer to sell the same, or knowingly possesses any such postage stamp, stamped envelope, or postal card, with intent to use the same or knowingly sells or offers to sell any such postage stamp, stamped envelope, or postal card, or uses or attempts to use the same in payment of postage; or
Whoever unlawfully and willfully removes from any mail matter any stamp attached thereto in payment of postage; or
Whoever knowingly uses in payment of postage, any postage stamp, postal card, or stamped envelope, issued in pursuance of law, which has already been used for a like purpose—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; but if he is a person employed in the Postal Service*, he shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
Source credit: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 783; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)
- 1948Enacted · Act of June 25, 1948, ch. 645 · 62 Stat. 783
- 1994Amended · Pub. L. 103-322 · 108 Stat. 2147
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by ch. 645 on 1948-06-25.
all 0 arguments · sorted by: best
no arguments yet — make the first case