Federal · Title 12 — Banks and Banking

12 U.S.C. § 3420: Grand jury information; notification of certain persons prohibited

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

This statute governs grand jury procedures for handling financial records in criminal investigations, requiring records be used only for specified prosecutorial purposes and destroyed or returned if unused.

Read the full statutory text
shall be returned and actually presented to the grand jury unless the volume of such records makes such return and actual presentation impractical in which case the grand jury shall be provided with a description of the contents of the records.; 1 1 So in original. shall be used only for the purpose of considering whether to issue an indictment or presentment by that grand jury, or of prosecuting a crime for which that indictment or presentment is issued, or for a purpose authorized by rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, or for a purpose authorized by section 3412(a) of this title ; shall be destroyed or returned to the financial institution if not used for one of the purposes specified in paragraph (2); and shall not be maintained, or a description of the contents of such records shall not be maintained by any Government authority other than in the sealed records of the grand jury, unless such record has been used in the prosecution of a crime for which the grand jury issued an indictment or presentment or for a purpose authorized by rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. crime against any financial institution or supervisory agency or crime involving a violation of the Controlled Substance Act [ 21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.], the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act [ 21 U.S.C. 951 et seq.], section 1956, 1957, or 1960 of title 18, sections 5313, 5316, 5322, 5324, 5331, and 5332 of title 31, or section 6050I of title 26 ; or conspiracy to commit such a crime, Section 1818 of this title and section 1786(k)(2) of this title shall apply to any violation of this subsection.

Verify at the official source: Federal legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.