Federal · Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

18 U.S.C. § 1902: Disclosure of crop information and speculation thereon

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

Federal officers or employees who unlawfully disclose confidential crop market information or trade on that information before public release face fines and up to ten years imprisonment.

Read the full statutory text
Whoever, being an officer, employee or person acting for or on behalf of the United States or any department or agency thereof, and having by virtue of his office, employment or position, become possessed of information which might influence or affect the market value of any product of the soil grown within the United States, which information is by law or by the rules of such department or agency required to be withheld from publication until a fixed time, willfully imparts, directly or indirectly, such information, or any part thereof, to any person not entitled under the law or the rules of the department or agency to receive the same; or, before such information is made public through regular official channels, directly or indirectly speculates in any such product by buying or selling the same in any quantity, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. No person shall be deemed guilty of a violation of any such rules, unless prior to such alleged violation he shall have had actual knowledge thereof.

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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.