Federal · Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

18 U.S.C. § 1515: Definitions for certain provisions; general provision

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

This statute provides definitions for terms used in federal criminal law provisions, including "physical force," "bodily injury," "corruptly persuades," and "corruptly," and clarifies that lawful legal representation is not prohibited.

Read the full statutory text
a proceeding before a judge or court of the United States, a United States magistrate judge, a bankruptcy judge, a judge of the United States Tax Court, a special trial judge of the Tax Court, a judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, or a Federal grand jury; a proceeding before the Congress; a proceeding before a Federal Government agency which is authorized by law; or a proceeding involving the business of insurance whose activities affect interstate commerce before any insurance regulatory official or agency or any agent or examiner appointed by such official or agency to examine the affairs of any person engaged in the business of insurance whose activities affect interstate commerce; the term “physical force” means physical action against another, and includes confinement; knowingly making a false statement; intentionally omitting information from a statement and thereby causing a portion of such statement to be misleading, or intentionally concealing a material fact, and thereby creating a false impression by such statement; with intent to mislead, knowingly submitting or inviting reliance on a writing or recording that is false, forged, altered, or otherwise lacking in authenticity; with intent to mislead, knowingly submitting or inviting reliance on a sample, specimen, map, photograph, boundary mark, or other object that is misleading in a material respect; or knowingly using a trick, scheme, or device with intent to mislead; authorized under law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of an offense; or serving as a probation or pretrial services officer under this title; a cut, abrasion, bruise, burn, or disfigurement; physical pain; illness; impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty; or any other injury to the body, no matter how temporary; and the term “corruptly persuades” does not include conduct which would be misleading conduct but for a lack of a state of mind. As used in section 1505, the term “corruptly” means acting with an improper purpose, personally or by influencing another, including making a false or misleading statement, or withholding, concealing, altering, or destroying a document or other information. This chapter does not prohibit or punish the providing of lawful, bona fide, legal representation services in connection with or anticipation of an official proceeding.

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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.