18 U.S.C. § 1705 Destruction of Letter Boxes Or Mail

• Library: United States Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-34 (published on www.congress.gov on 12/26/2023), except for [P. L. 118-31]
• Year: 2023
• Citation: 18 U.S.C. § 1705

Whoever willfully or maliciously injures, tears down or destroys any letter box or other receptacle intended or used for the receipt or delivery of mail on any mail route, or breaks open the same or willfully or maliciously injures, defaces or destroys any mail deposited therein, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

Cite as 18 U.S.C. § 1705

Source: June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 779; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, §38, 63 Stat. 95; Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 107-273, div. B, title III, §3002(a)(2), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1805.

Notes from the Office of Law Revision Counsel

current through 5/22/2023

HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES

1948 ACT

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §321 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §198, 35 Stat. 1126; May 18, 1916, ch. 126, §10, 39 Stat. 162; July 28, 1916, ch. 261, §1, 39 Stat. 418; May 7, 1934, ch. 220, §1, 48 Stat. 667).

Words "or shall willfully take or steal such mail from or out of such letter box or other receptacle" were omitted as covered by section 1702 of this title. Prosecutions for theft of mail matter are invariably made under that section whereas this section is used as basis for prosecutions for malicious mischief to mail boxes or receptacles. By Postal Regulations (1928), section 700, paragraph 2, an ordinary letter box is within this section and also section 1702 of this title. Huebner v. United States (C.C.A. 1928, 28 F. 2d 929).