10 USC § 909a - Art. 109a. Mail matter: wrongful taking, opening, etc.

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t10/s909a"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "10 USC § 909a - Art. 109a. Mail matter: wrongful taking, opening, etc."
title_number: 10
title_name: "ARMED FORCES"
section_number: "909a"
section_name: "Art. 109a. Mail matter: wrongful taking, opening, etc."
chapter_number: 47
chapter_name: "UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE"
subchapter_number: "X"
subchapter_name: "PUNITIVE ARTICLES"
part_number: "II"
part_name: "PERSONNEL"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. E, title LX, § 5421, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2946.)"
---


# § 909a. Art. 109a. Mail matter: wrongful taking, opening, etc.

**(a)** **Taking.—** Any person subject to this chapter who, with the intent to obstruct the correspondence of, or to pry into the business or secrets of, any person or organization, wrongfully takes mail matter before the mail matter is delivered to or received by the addressee shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

**(b)** **Opening, Secreting, Destroying, Stealing.—** Any person subject to this chapter who wrongfully opens, secretes, destroys, or steals mail matter before the mail matter is delivered to or received by the addressee shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. E, title LX, § 5421, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2946.)

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective on , as designated by the President, with implementing regulations and provisions relating to applicability to various situations, see  and Ex. Ord. No. 13825, set out as notes under .