18 U.S.C. § 2 — Principals

submitted 78 years ago by ch. 645 to r/title-18-CRIMES-AND-CRIMINAL-PROCEDURE · 54 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

Anyone who commits a federal crime, or who helps someone else commit one — by aiding, encouraging, ordering, or arranging it — can be punished as if they committed the crime themselves. The same is true for someone who willfully causes another person to commit the crime for them.

(a) Anyone who commits a crime against the United States, or who aids it, abets it, counsels it, commands it, induces it, or procures it, can be punished the same way as the main offender. (b) Anyone who willfully causes an act to happen that would be a federal crime if that person had done it directly — even if someone else actually did it — can also be punished the same way as the main offender.

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

(a)

Whoever commits an offense against the United States or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal.

(b)

Whoever willfully causes an act to be done which if directly performed by him or another would be an offense against the United States, is punishable as a principal.

Source credit: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 684; Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 655, § 17b, 65 Stat. 717.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1948Enacted · Act of June 25, 1948, ch. 645 · 62 Stat. 684
1951Amended · Act of Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 655 · 65 Stat. 717

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by ch. 645 on 1948-06-25.

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