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

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LegalText 18 U.S.C. § 1703 Delay or destruction of mail or newspapers us united_states_code code_section 18 CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 83 POSTAL SERVICE 1703 18 U.S.C. § 1703 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/s1703 data/legal/raw/us/code/title-18/usc18.xml 43510c3460892e93ebc949e565d2b69117c79bd66c96574b656bd439af1d60cc 1a1bbbbdb59e376ada4eb7ad1056fd68d396679ee7ab59f0561af15006122708 f136bf32bb89ef017a4f2b19f02d604f37c965ead6c178efa3902224be65a4b0 2026-07-04 official
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18 U.S.C. § 1703 - Delay or destruction of mail or newspapers

Text

(a) Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, unlawfully secretes, destroys, detains, delays, or opens any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail entrusted to him or which shall come into his possession, and which was intended to be conveyed by mail, or carried or delivered by any carrier or other employee of the Postal Service, or forwarded through or delivered from any post office or station thereof established by authority of the Postmaster General or the Postal Service, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

(b) Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, improperly detains, delays, or destroys any newspaper, or permits any other person to detain, delay, or destroy the same, or opens, or permits any other person to open, any mail or package of newspapers not directed to the office where he is employed; orWhoever, without authority, opens, or destroys any mail or package of newspapers not directed to him, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 778; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 37, 63 Stat. 95; Pub. L. 91375, § 6(j)(16), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 778; Pub. L. 103322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(B), (G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2146, 2147.)

Notes

Historical and Revision Notes

1948 ActBased on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 318, 319 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §§ 195, 196, 35 Stat. 1125, 1126). Section consolidated sections 318 and 319 of said title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. The embezzlement and theft provisions of each were incorporated in sections 1709 and 1710 of this title. Minor changes were made in phraseology.

1949 ActThis section [section 37] corrects typographical errors in section 1703 of title 18, U.S.C.

Editorial Notes

Amendments1994—Pub. L. 103322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $500” in subsec. (a) and “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $100” in last par. 1970—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 91375, § 6(j)(16)(A), amended subsec. (a) generally, which prior to amendment read as follows: “Whoever, being a postmaster or Postal Service employee, unlawfully detains, delays, or opens any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail intrusted to him or which shall come into his possession, and which was intended to be conveyed by mail, or carried or delivered by any carrier or other employee of the Postal Service, or forwarded through or delivered from any post office or station thereof established by authority of the Postmaster General; or secretes, or destroys any such letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.” Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 91375, § 6(j)(16)(B), substituted “Postal Service officer or employee” for “postmaster or Postal Service employee”. 1949—Subsec. (a). Act May 24, 1949, § 37(a), substituted “secretes” for “secrets”. Subsec. (b). Act May 24, 1949, § 37(b), substituted “newspapers” for “newspaper”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1970 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 91375 effective within 1 year after Aug. 12, 1970, on date established therefor by Board of Governors of United States Postal Service and published by it in Federal Register, see section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91375, set out as an Effective Date note preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.