18 U.S.C.
United States Code, 2011 Edition
Title 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 49 - FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE
From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov

CHAPTER 49—FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE

Sec.
1071.
Concealing person from arrest.
1072.
Concealing escaped prisoner.
1073.
Flight to avoid prosecution or giving testimony.
1074.
Flight to avoid prosecution for damaging or destroying any building or other real or personal property.

        

Amendments

1960—Pub. L. 86–449, title II, §202, May 6, 1960, 74 Stat. 87, added item 1074.

§1071. Concealing person from arrest

Whoever harbors or conceals any person for whose arrest a warrant or process has been issued under the provisions of any law of the United States, so as to prevent his discovery and arrest, after notice or knowledge of the fact that a warrant or process has been issued for the apprehension of such person, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; except that if the warrant or process issued on a charge of felony, or after conviction of such person of any offense, the punishment shall be a fine under this title, or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 755; Aug. 20, 1954, ch. 771, 68 Stat. 747; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(H), (K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title IV, §4003(a)(3), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1811.)

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §246 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §141, 35 Stat. 1114).

Section 246 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., was divided. Part is in this section and the remainder is incorporated in section 752 of this title.

Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Amendments

2002—Pub. L. 107–273 substituted “fine under this title” for “fine of under this title”.

1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “under this title” for “not more than $1,000” after “person, shall be fined” and for “not more than $5,000” after “shall be a fine of”.

1954—Act Aug. 20, 1954, increased the penalty from 6 months to 1 year where the violator harbored a person for whom process has been issued on a misdemeanor charge and inserted the penalty provision where the violation occurred after a person has been convicted of any offense or where a process has been issued for a felony.

§1072. Concealing escaped prisoner

Whoever willfully harbors or conceals any prisoner after his escape from the custody of the Attorney General or from a Federal penal or correctional institution, shall be imprisoned not more than three years.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 755.)

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§753i, 910 (May 14, 1930, ch. 274, §10, 46 Stat. 327; May 27, 1930, ch. 339, §10, 46 Stat. 390).

Section consolidates similar language of said sections of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. Remaining provisions are in section 752 of this title.

Words “willfully harbors” were added in conformity with section 1071 of this title. Punishment for harboring violators of the Espionage laws is provided in section 792 of this title. Punishment for harboring deserters from the armed forces is provided in section 1381 of this title.

Minor changes were made in phraseology.

§1073. Flight to avoid prosecution or giving testimony

Whoever moves or travels in interstate or foreign commerce with intent either (1) to avoid prosecution, or custody or confinement after conviction, under the laws of the place from which he flees, for a crime, or an attempt to commit a crime, punishable by death or which is a felony under the laws of the place from which the fugitive flees, or (2) to avoid giving testimony in any criminal proceedings in such place in which the commission of an offense punishable by death or which is a felony under the laws of such place, is charged, or (3) to avoid service of, or contempt proceedings for alleged disobedience of, lawful process requiring attendance and the giving of testimony or the production of documentary evidence before an agency of a State empowered by the law of such State to conduct investigations of alleged criminal activities, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. For the purposes of clause (3) of this paragraph, the term “State” includes a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.

Violations of this section may be prosecuted only in the Federal judicial district in which the original crime was alleged to have been committed, or in which the person was held in custody or confinement, or in which an avoidance of service of process or a contempt referred to in clause (3) of the first paragraph of this section is alleged to have been committed, and only upon formal approval in writing by the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General, or an Assistant Attorney General of the United States, which function of approving prosecutions may not be delegated.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 755; Apr. 6, 1956, ch. 177, §1, 70 Stat. 100; Pub. L. 87–368, Oct. 4, 1961, 75 Stat. 795; Pub. L. 91–452, title III, §302, Oct. 15, 1970, 84 Stat. 932; Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, §7020(b), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4396; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §§330004(19), 330016(1)(K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2142, 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, §607(e), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3511.)

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §408e (May 18, 1934, ch. 302, 48 Stat. 782; Aug. 2, 1946, ch. 735, 60 Stat. 789).

Said section 408e was rewritten and the phrase “offenses as they are defined either at common law or by the laws of the place from which the fugitive flees” were inserted to remove the ambiguity discussed in the opinion of the Circuit Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, in Brandenburg v. U.S., decided September 6, 1944, not yet reported [144 F2d 656], reversing the conviction of the appellant. The court held that Congress intended the enumerated offenses to mean those as defined at common law. The effect of the rewritten section is to make the statute applicable whether the offense committed is one defined at common law or by the law of the state from which the fugitive flees.

The words “offense punishable by imprisonment in a penitentiary” were substituted for “felony” to make the statute uniformly applicable and to include crimes of the grade of felony even where, as in New Jersey, they are denominated as misdemeanor, high misdemeanor or otherwise.

Words “from any State, Territory, or possession of the United States or the District of Columbia” were omitted in view of definitive section 10 of this title.

Words “upon conviction thereof” were deleted as surplusage since punishment cannot be imposed until a conviction is secured.

Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–294 inserted at end of first par. “For the purposes of clause (3) of this paragraph, the term ‘State’ includes a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.”

1994—Pub. L. 103–322, §330016(1)(K), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”.

Pub. L. 103–322, §330004(19), struck out “or which, in the case of New Jersey, is a high misdemeanor under the laws of said State,” before “or (2) to avoid” and “or which in the case of New Jersey, is a high misdemeanor under the laws of said State,” before “is charged, or (3)”.

1988—Pub. L. 100–690 inserted “, the Deputy Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General,” after “the Attorney General”.

1970—Pub. L. 91–452 inserted cl. (3) and “, or in which an avoidance of service of process or a contempt referred to in clause (3) of the first paragraph of this section is alleged to have been committed,” after “in custody or confinement”.

1961—Pub. L. 87–368 substituted “a crime, or an attempt to commit a crime, punishable by death or which is a felony under the laws of the place from which the fugitive flees, or which, in the case of New Jersey, is a high misdemeanor under the laws of said State” for “murder, kidnaping, burglary, robbery, mayhem, rape, assault with a dangerous weapon, arson punishable as a felony, or extortion accompanied by threats of violence, or attempt to commit any of the foregoing offenses as they are defined either at common law or by the laws of the place from which the fugitive flees”, “death or which is a felony under the laws of such place, or which in the case of New Jersey, is a high misdemeanor under the laws of said State,” for “imprisonment in a penitentiary”, and required that prosecutions must be upon the formal written approval of the Attorney General or an Assistant Attorney General, which function may not be delegated.

1956—Act Apr. 6, 1956, inserted “, arson punishable as a felony” after “assault with a dangerous weapon”.

Effective Date of 1956 Amendment

Section 2 of act Apr. 6, 1956, provided that: “The amendment made by the first section of this Act [amending this section] shall take effect on the thirtieth day after the date of enactment of this Act [April 6, 1956].”

Parental Kidnaping and Interstate or International Flight To Avoid Prosecution Under Applicable State Felony Statutes

Pub. L. 96–611, §10, Dec. 28, 1980, 94 Stat. 3573, provided that:

“(a) In view of the findings of the Congress and the purposes of sections 6 to 10 of this Act set forth in section 302 [probably means section 7 of Pub. L. 96–611, set out as a note under section 1738A of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure], the Congress hereby expressly declares its intent that section 1073 of title 18, United States Code, apply to cases involving parental kidnaping and interstate or international flight to avoid prosecution under applicable State felony statutes.

“(b) The Attorney General of the United States, not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this section [Dec. 28, 1980] (and once every 6 months during the 3-year period following such 120-day period), shall submit a report to the Congress with respect to steps taken to comply with the intent of the Congress set forth in subsection (a). Each such report shall include—

“(1) data relating to the number of applications for complaints under section 1073 of title 18, United States Code in cases involving parental kidnaping;

“(2) data relating to the number of complaints issued in such cases; and

“(3) such other information as may assist in describing the activities of the Department of Justice in conformance with such intent.”

§1074. Flight to avoid prosecution for damaging or destroying any building or other real or personal property

(a) Whoever moves or travels in interstate or foreign commerce with intent either (1) to avoid prosecution, or custody, or confinement after conviction, under the laws of the place from which he flees, for willfully attempting to or damaging or destroying by fire or explosive any building, structure, facility, vehicle, dwelling house, synagogue, church, religious center or educational institution, public or private, or (2) to avoid giving testimony in any criminal proceeding relating to any such offense shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

(b) Violations of this section may be prosecuted in the Federal judicial district in which the original crime was alleged to have been committed or in which the person was held in custody or confinement: Provided, however, That this section shall not be construed as indicating an intent on the part of Congress to prevent any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession of the United States of any jurisdiction over any offense over which they would have jurisdiction in the absence of such section.

(Added Pub. L. 86–449, title II, §201, May 6, 1960, 74 Stat. 86; amended Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”.