18 USC § 1709 - Theft of mail matter by officer or employee

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t18/s1709"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "18 USC § 1709 - Theft of mail matter by officer or employee"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
section_number: "1709"
section_name: "Theft of mail matter by officer or employee"
chapter_number: 83
chapter_name: "POSTAL SERVICE"
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: "(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 780; Pub. L. 91–375, § 6(j)(19)(A), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 778; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)"
---


# § 1709. Theft of mail matter by officer or employee

Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, embezzles any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein entrusted to him or which comes into his possession intended to be conveyed by mail, or carried or delivered by any carrier, messenger, agent, or other person employed in any department of the Postal Service, or forwarded through or delivered from any post office or station thereof established by authority of the Postmaster General or of the Postal Service; or steals, abstracts, or removes from any such letter, package, bag, or mail, any article or thing contained therein, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

---

**Source Credit**: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 780; Pub. L. 91–375, § 6(j)(19)(A), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 778; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

### Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 318 (, ).

The provisions of said , U.S.C., 1940 ed., were incorporated in this section and .

The fine of “$500” was increased to “$2,000” as more proportionate to the imprisonment provision and to conform with other comparable sections. (See sections 1702 and 1708 of this title.)

Changes were made in phraseology.

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1994— substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $2,000”.

1970— substituted “officer” for “postmaster” in section catchline, and in text substituted “Postal Service officer or employee” for “postmaster or Postal Service employee” and “entrusted” for “intrusted” and inserted “or of the Postal Service” after “Postmaster General”.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1970 Amendment

Amendment by  effective within 1 year after , on date established therefor by Board of Governors of United States Postal Service and published by it in Federal Register, see , set out as an Effective Date note preceding , Postal Service.