---
type: "LegalText"
title: "18 U.S.C. § 1661"
description: "Robbery ashore"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
chapter_number: "81"
chapter_name: "PIRACY AND PRIVATEERING"
section: "1661"
citation: "18 U.S.C. § 1661"
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/s1661"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-18/usc18.xml"
source_hash: "da8002b477dd0e0990cb08962e525020571e5cf70f06377f41d466730c8606b8"
raw_snapshot_hash: "1a1bbbbdb59e376ada4eb7ad1056fd68d396679ee7ab59f0561af15006122708"
text_hash: "b18b441dd39e7274faac61a83fa9f0450720458c1d985465db37e25cf2bc0ad0"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 18 U.S.C. § 1661 - Robbery ashore

## Text

Whoever, being engaged in any piratical cruise or enterprise, or being of the crew of any piratical vessel, lands from such vessel and commits robbery on shore, is a pirate, and shall be imprisoned for life.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 775.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 493 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 302, 35 Stat. 1147). Transposition of several words was made.