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Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Part I · Chapter 11 — Bribery, Graft, and Conflicts of Interest

§ 211. Acceptance or solicitation to obtain appointive public office

Statutory text

Whoever solicits or receives, either as a political contribution, or for personal emolument, any money or thing of value, in consideration of the promise of support or use of influence in obtaining for any person any appointive office or place under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Whoever solicits or receives any thing of value in consideration of aiding a person to obtain employment under the United States either by referring his name to an executive department or agency of the United States or by requiring the payment of a fee because such person has secured such employment shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. This section shall not apply to such services rendered by an employment agency pursuant to the written request of an executive department or agency of the United States.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Pub. L. 80–645 · 62 Stat. 683

    Enacted · 18 U.S.C. § 211

    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 694, § 211, formerly § 215

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 694, § 211, formerly § 215

  2. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

    Pub. L. 103–322 title XXXIII § 330016(1)(H) · 108 Stat. 1796

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 211

    Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” in two places

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” in two places.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (H) in sections 81, 210, 211, 215, 217, 242, 245, 291, 292, 439, 442, 480, 483, 484, 490, 491, 494, 495, 503, 507, 510, 594, 595, 596, 597, 598, 599, 604, 605, 641, 643, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 661, 662, 665, 712, 751, 752, 756, 795, 796, 797, 836, 844, 871, 875, 876, 877, 879, 911, 912, 913, 924, 957, 959, 961, 1003, 1012, 1021, 1025, 1026, 1071, 1112, 1163, 1262, 1263, 1264, 1301, 1302, 1304, 1306, 1341, 1342, 1343, 1361, 1363, 1384, 1504, 1508, 1509, 1657, 1705, 1706, 1707, 1711, 1715, 1716, 1733, 1738, 1761, 1762, 2276, 2277, 2278, 2382, and 2389 by striking “not more than $1,000” each place it appears and inserting “under this title”;

1 of 2 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial

Notes

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 150 and 151 (Dec. 11, 1926, ch. 3, §§ 2, 3, 44 Stat. 918).

Same changes of style and substance were made in this section as in section 214 of this title.

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 211, act June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 693, related to an offer of a gratuity to a revenue officer, prior to the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 87–849 and is substantially covered in revised section 201.

Amendments1951–1994 · 2 rounds

1994

Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” in two places.

1951

Act , inserted second paragraph.

Credits

1948–1994 · 4 acts
  1. 1948June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 694, § 211, formerly § 215
  2. 1951Sept. 13, 1951, ch. 380, 65 Stat. 320
  3. 1962renumbered § 211, Pub. L. 87–849, § 1(b), , 76 Stat. 1125
  4. 1994Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), , 108 Stat. 2147.
Show as published

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 694, § 211, formerly § 215; Sept. 13, 1951, ch. 380, 65 Stat. 320; renumbered § 211, Pub. L. 87–849, § 1(b), , 76 Stat. 1125; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), , 108 Stat. 2147.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc18.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-05-04

USLM identifier /us/usc/t18/s211