18 USC § 668 - Theft of major artwork

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t18/s668"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "18 USC § 668 - Theft of major artwork"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
section_number: "668"
section_name: "Theft of major artwork"
chapter_number: 31
chapter_name: "EMBEZZLEMENT AND THEFT"
part_number: "I"
part_name: "CRIMES"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-21"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXII, § 320902(a), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2123; amended Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 604(b)(18), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3507.)"
---


# § 668. Theft of major artwork

**(a)** **Definitions.—** In this section—

**(1)** “museum” means an organized and permanent institution, the activities of which affect interstate or foreign commerce, that—

**(A)** is situated in the United States;

**(B)** is established for an essentially educational or aesthetic purpose;

**(C)** has a professional staff; and

**(D)** owns, utilizes, and cares for tangible objects that are exhibited to the public on a regular schedule.

**(2)** “object of cultural heritage” means an object that is—

**(A)** over 100 years old and worth in excess of $5,000; or

**(B)** worth at least $100,000.

**(b)** **Offenses.—** A person who—

shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.

**(1)** steals or obtains by fraud from the care, custody, or control of a museum any object of cultural heritage; or

**(2)** knowing that an object of cultural heritage has been stolen or obtained by fraud, if in fact the object was stolen or obtained from the care, custody, or control of a museum (whether or not that fact is known to the person), receives, conceals, exhibits, or disposes of the object,

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**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXII, § 320902(a), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2123; amended Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 604(b)(18), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3507.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1996—Subsec. (a).  designated first and second pars. beginning with quotation mark as pars. (1) and (2), respectively, and made technical amendment to provisions appearing in original.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1996 Amendment

Amendment by  effective , see , set out as a note under .