FEDERAL · 18 U.S.C. · Chapter 17
Mutilation, diminution, and falsification of coins
18 U.S.C. § 331
Title18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Chapter17 — COINS AND CURRENCY
This text of 18 U.S.C. § 331 (Mutilation, diminution, and falsification of coins) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
Bluebook
18 U.S.C. § 331.
Text
Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or
Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI
Related
Smith v. Goguen
415 U.S. 566 (Supreme Court, 1974)
Wooley v. Maynard
430 U.S. 705 (Supreme Court, 1977)
Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, Inc. v. Napolitano
648 F.3d 365 (Sixth Circuit, 2011)
United States v. Charles Demore Jewell
532 F.2d 697 (Ninth Circuit, 1976)
California v. Zook
336 U.S. 725 (Supreme Court, 1949)
United States v. William Sheiner and Victor Piacentile, A/K/A Victor Pease
410 F.2d 337 (Second Circuit, 1969)
Andy Wallace Barnett, Robert Taylor Newman and Jack Coleman Stewart v. United States
384 F.2d 848 (Fifth Circuit, 1967)
United States v. Loren Robie Wilson
451 F.2d 209 (Fifth Circuit, 1971)
Thomas Wayne Joyce v. United States
454 F.2d 971 (D.C. Circuit, 1972)
United States v. Barney A. Gertz, Owner of 3,827 Coins Being Likenesses of the 1847 'Hapa Haneri' Issued by the Hawaiian Government
249 F.2d 662 (Ninth Circuit, 1957)
Madalyn Murray O'Hair v. Jon Murray v. W. Michael Blumenthal, Secretary of the Treasury
588 F.2d 1144 (Fifth Circuit, 1979)
Howard Wallace Barbee and Bobby Joe Manziel v. United States
392 F.2d 532 (Fifth Circuit, 1968)
United States v. Schneiderman
102 F. Supp. 52 (S.D. California, 1951)
Walter Wax and Lawrence Levine v. Honorable Constance Baker Motley, United States District Judge, United States of America v. Norman Rubinson
510 F.2d 318 (Second Circuit, 1975)
United States v. Sheiner
273 F. Supp. 977 (S.D. New York, 1967)
UNITED STATES v. JORGE CINTRÓN-FERNÁNDEZ, A/K/A JORGE CINTRÓN, JR.
356 F.3d 340 (First Circuit, 2004)
O'HAIR v. Blumenthal
462 F. Supp. 19 (W.D. Texas, 1978)
One Cocktail Glass v. State
565 P.2d 1265 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1977)
Durrell Edward Tyson v. United States
285 F.2d 19 (Tenth Circuit, 1960)
Masselli v. United States Parole Commission
631 F. Supp. 1442 (S.D. New York, 1986)
Source Credit
History
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 700; July 16, 1951, ch. 226, §1, 65 Stat. 121; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)
Editorial Notes
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §279 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §165, 35 Stat. 1119).
Mandatory punishment provision was rephrased in the alternative.
Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of "principal" in section 2 of this title.
Changes were also made in phraseology.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted "fined under this title" for "fined not more than $2,000".
1951—Act July 16, 1951, made section applicable to minor coins (5-cent and 1-cent pieces), and to fraudulent alteration of coins.
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §279 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §165, 35 Stat. 1119).
Mandatory punishment provision was rephrased in the alternative.
Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of "principal" in section 2 of this title.
Changes were also made in phraseology.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted "fined under this title" for "fined not more than $2,000".
1951—Act July 16, 1951, made section applicable to minor coins (5-cent and 1-cent pieces), and to fraudulent alteration of coins.
Cite This Page — Counsel Stack
Bluebook (online)
18 U.S.C. § 331, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/usc/18/331.