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2026-07-06 10:51:44 -04:00

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LegalText 18 U.S.C. § 2 Principals us united_states_code code_section 18 CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS 2 18 U.S.C. § 2 current 119-100 2026-06-26 official https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc18@119-100.zip /us/usc/t18/s2 data/legal/raw/us/code/title-18/usc18.xml 250206de81107625c97bc465ce3458a8eb3b7068f4576d8b369472dfd556f102 1a1bbbbdb59e376ada4eb7ad1056fd68d396679ee7ab59f0561af15006122708 b55a40333a8df45662be9f064acb0fdf5fafe39f32ea727ee4e4438109c50eba 2026-07-04 official
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18 U.S.C. § 2 - Principals

Text

(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.

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

Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 550 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 332, 35 Stat. 1152). Section 2(a) comprises section 550 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., without change except in minor matters of phraseology. Section 2(b) is added to permit the deletion from many sections throughout the revision of such phrases as “causes or procures”. The section as revised makes clear the legislative intent to punish as a principal not only one who directly commits an offense and one who “aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures” another to commit an offense, but also anyone who causes the doing of an act which if done by him directly would render him guilty of an offense against the United States. It removes all doubt that one who puts in motion or assists in the illegal enterprise but causes the commission of an indispensable element of the offense by an innocent agent or instrumentality, is guilty as a principal even though he intentionally refrained from the direct act constituting the completed offense. This accords with the following decisions: Rothenburg v. United States, 1918, 38 S. Ct. 18, 245 U.S. 480, 62 L. Ed. 414, and United States v. Hodorowicz, C. C. A. Ill. 1939, 105 F. 2d 218, certiorari denied, 60 S. Ct. 108, 308 U.S. 584, 84 L. Ed. 489. United States v. Giles, 1937, 57 S. Ct. 340, 300 U.S. 41, 81 L. Ed. 493, rehearing denied, 57 S. Ct. 505, 300 U.S. 687, 81 L. Ed. 888.

Editorial Notes

Amendments1951—Subsec. (a). Act Oct. 31, 1951, inserted “punishable as”. Subsec. (b). Act Oct. 31, 1951, inserted “willfully” before “causes”, and “or another” after “him”, and substituted “is punishable as a principal” for “is also a principal and punishable as such”.