18 U.S.C. § 332 — Debasement of coins; alteration of official scales, or embezzlement of metals

submitted 78 years ago by ch. 645 to r/title-18-CRIMES-AND-CRIMINAL-PROCEDURE · 199 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

It's a federal crime to debase gold or silver coins made at U.S. mints. It's also a crime to tamper with mint scales, or to embezzle mint metals, coins, or money. A violator faces a fine or up to ten years in prison, or both.

This law makes it a crime to ruin the value of official U.S. coins or mint equipment, or to steal from a mint. First, it's illegal to debase gold or silver coins struck at any U.S. mint — meaning making them contain less fine gold or silver than they're supposed to, or making them weigh or be worth less than the law requires. Second, it's illegal for an officer or employee at a mint or assay office to deface, alter, increase, or diminish the mint's scales or weights, if done through their own fault or cooperation, and done with intent to defraud. Third, it's illegal for such an officer or employee to embezzle — that is, steal after being trusted with — any metal given to them to be coined, any coins struck at the mint, or any medals, coins, or other money belonging to the mint or assay office that was placed in their charge, or that they took charge of. Anyone who commits any of these offenses can be fined under this title, or imprisoned for up to ten years, or both.

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

If any of the gold or silver coins struck or coined at any of the mints of the United States shall be debased, or made worse as to the proportion of fine gold or fine silver therein contained, or shall be of less weight or value than the same ought to be, pursuant to law, or if any of the scales or weights used at any of the mints or assay offices of the United States shall be defaced, altered, increased, or diminished through the fault or connivance of any officer or person employed at the said mints or assay offices, with a fraudulent intent; or if any such officer or person shall embezzle any of the metals at any time committed to his charge for the purpose of being coined, or any of the coins struck or coined at the said mints, or any medals, coins, or other moneys of said mints or assay offices at any time committed to his charge, or of which he may have assumed the charge, every such officer or person who commits any of the said offenses shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

Source credit: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 700; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1948Enacted · Act of June 25, 1948, ch. 645 · 62 Stat. 700
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.

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