All Agencies, Latest Month		All Agencies, Current FY		Geographic Distribution of Convictions for All Agencies, FY 2024
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	Conviction Report Not Available		1 Conviction in Fiscal Year 2024

CITE

    18 USC Sec. 1705                                            01/05/2009

EXPCITE

    TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
    PART I - CRIMES
    CHAPTER 83 - POSTAL SERVICE

HEAD

    Sec. 1705. Destruction of letter boxes or mail

STATUTE

      Whoever willfully or maliciously injures, tears down or destroys
    any letter box or other receptacle intended or used for the receipt
    or delivery of mail on any mail route, or breaks open the same or
    willfully or maliciously injures, defaces or destroys any mail
    deposited therein, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned
    not more than three years, or both.

SOURCE

    (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 779; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, Sec.
    38, 63 Stat. 95; Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(H),
    Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 107-273, div. B, title III,
    Sec. 3002(a)(2), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1805.)

HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES

                                 1948 ACT
      Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Sec. 321 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch.
    321, Sec. 198, 35 Stat. 1126; May 18, 1916, ch. 126, Sec. 10, 39
    Stat. 162; July 28, 1916, ch. 261, Sec. 1, 39 Stat. 418; May 7,
    1934, ch. 220, Sec. 1, 48 Stat. 667).
      Words "or shall willfully take or steal such mail from or out of
    such letter box or other receptacle" were omitted as covered by
    section 1702 of this title. Prosecutions for theft of mail matter
    are invariably made under that section whereas this section is used
    as basis for prosecutions for malicious mischief to mail boxes or
    receptacles. By Postal Regulations (1928), section 700, paragraph
    2, an ordinary letter box is within this section and also section
    1702 of this title. Huebner v. United States (C.C.A. 1928, 28 F. 2d
    929).
      Reference to persons assisting or aiding was omitted. Such
    persons are principals under definitive section 2 of this title.
      Minor changes were made in phraseology.
                                 1949 ACT
      As amended by this section [section 38] of the bill, section 1705
    of title 18, U.S.C., is brought more closely into conformity with
    the original statute from which it was derived by eliminating an
    inadvertent reference to a "conveyance" which was not in the
    original statute. (See S. Rept. No. 133, 81st Cong.)
                                AMENDMENTS
      2002 - Pub. L. 107-273 inserted ", or both" after "years".
      1994 - Pub. L. 103-322 substituted "fined under this title" for
    "fined not more than $1,000".
      1949 - Act May 24, 1949, struck out reference to a "conveyance"
    which was not in original statute.