Federal · Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

18 U.S.C. § 506: Seals of departments or agencies

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

It is a federal crime to falsely make, forge, counterfeit, mutilate, or alter U.S. government seals, or to knowingly use, possess, or distribute such fraudulent seals on official documents with intent to defraud.

Read the full statutory text
falsely makes, forges, counterfeits, mutilates, or alters the seal of any department or agency of the United States, or any facsimile thereof; knowingly uses, affixes, or impresses any such fraudulently made, forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered seal or facsimile thereof to or upon any certificate, instrument, commission, document, or paper of any description; or with fraudulent intent, possesses, sells, offers for sale, furnishes, offers to furnish, gives away, offers to give away, transports, offers to transport, imports, or offers to import any such seal or facsimile thereof, knowing the same to have been so falsely made, forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered, so forged, counterfeited, mutilated, or altered; used, affixed, or impressed to or upon any certificate, instrument, commission, document, or paper of any description; or with fraudulent intent, possessed, sold, offered for sale, furnished, offered to furnish, given away, offered to give away, transported, offered to transport, imported, or offered to import, the issuance of any grant, contract, loan, professional license, or commercial license provided by any agency of the United States or by appropriated funds of the United States; and any retirement, welfare, Social Security, health (including treatment of an emergency medical condition in accordance with section 1903(v) of the Social Security Act (19 1 U.S.C. 1396b(v))), disability, veterans, public housing, education, supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, 1 So in original. Probably should be “42”. 2 or unemployment benefit, or any similar benefit for which payments or assistance are provided by an agency of the United States or by appropriated funds of the United States; and 2 So in original. The word “benefits” probably should not appear. each instance of forgery, counterfeiting, mutilation, or alteration shall constitute a separate offense under this section.

Verify at the official source: Federal legislative text

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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.