Federal · Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

18 U.S.C. § 670: Theft of medical products

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

This statute criminalizes theft, fraud, counterfeiting, trafficking, and related conduct involving pre-retail medical products. Penalties range from 3 years to 30 years imprisonment depending on aggravating factors, value, and prior convictions.

Read the full statutory text
embezzles, steals, or by fraud or deception obtains, or knowingly and unlawfully takes, carries away, or conceals a pre-retail medical product; knowingly and falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits the labeling or documentation (including documentation relating to origination or shipping) of a pre-retail medical product; knowingly possesses, transports, or traffics in a pre-retail medical product that was involved in a violation of paragraph (1) or (2); with intent to defraud, buys, or otherwise obtains, a pre-retail medical product that has expired or been stolen; with intent to defraud, sells, or distributes, a pre-retail medical product that is expired or stolen; or attempts or conspires to violate any of paragraphs (1) through (5); the defendant is employed by, or is an agent of, an organization in the supply chain for the pre-retail medical product; or involves the use of violence, force, or a threat of violence or force; involves the use of a deadly weapon; results in serious bodily injury or death, including serious bodily injury or death resulting from the use of the medical product involved; or is subsequent to a prior conviction for an offense under this section. if the offense is an aggravated offense under subsection (b)(2)(C), shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both; if the value of the medical products involved in the offense is $5,000 or greater, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 15 years, or both, but if the offense is an aggravated offense other than one under subsection (b)(2)(C), the maximum term of imprisonment is 20 years; and in any other case, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 3 years, or both, but if the offense is an aggravated offense other than one under subsection (b)(2)(C), the maximum term of imprisonment is 5 years. three times the economic loss attributable to the violation; or $1,000,000. the term “pre-retail medical product” means a medical product that has not yet been made available for retail purchase by a consumer; the term “medical product” means a drug, biological product, device, medical food, or infant formula; the terms “device”, “drug”, “infant formula”, and “labeling” have, respectively, the meanings given those terms in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the term “biological product” has the meaning given the term in section 351 of the Public Health Service Act; the term “medical food” has the meaning given the term in section 5(b) of the Orphan Drug Act; and the term “supply chain” includes manufacturer, wholesaler, repacker, own-labeled distributor, private-label distributor, jobber, broker, drug trader, transportation company, hospital, pharmacy, or security company.

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.