---
type: "LegalText"
title: "18 U.S.C. § 3301"
description: "Securities fraud offenses"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
chapter_number: "213"
chapter_name: "LIMITATIONS"
section: "3301"
citation: "18 U.S.C. § 3301"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc18@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t18/s3301"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-18/usc18.xml"
source_hash: "fef83cfbdea573e763de2df643d27b1e9d76e2c527eb7cade4c5268f1422d48a"
raw_snapshot_hash: "1a1bbbbdb59e376ada4eb7ad1056fd68d396679ee7ab59f0561af15006122708"
text_hash: "a1bf4cc5bc7332dd410e61907f3912f47f87fcb83c21fd8f2addb5809d7b9005"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 18 U.S.C. § 3301 - Securities fraud offenses

## Text

(a) Definition.— In this section, the term “securities fraud offense” means a violation of, or a conspiracy or an attempt to violate—

(1) section 1348;

(2) section 32(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78ff(a));

(3) section 24 of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77x);

(4) section 217 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80b–17);

(5) section 49 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–48); or

(6) section 325 of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S.C. 77yyy).

(b) Limitation.— No person shall be prosecuted, tried, or punished for a securities fraud offense, unless the indictment is found or the information is instituted within 6 years after the commission of the offense.

(Added Pub. L. 111–203, title X, § 1079A(b)(1), July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 2079.)

## Notes

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective DateSection effective 1 day after July 21, 2010, except as otherwise provided, see section 4 of Pub. L. 111–203, set out as a note under section 5301 of Title 12, Banks and Banking.