Skip to content

Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Part I · Chapter 31 — Embezzlement and Theft

§ 643. Accounting generally for public money

Statutory text

Whoever, being an officer, employee or agent of the United States or of any department or agency thereof, having received public money which he is not authorized to retain as salary, pay, or emolument, fails to render his accounts for the same as provided by law is guilty of embezzlement, and shall be fined under this title or in a sum equal to the amount of the money embezzled, whichever is greater, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; but if the amount embezzled does not exceed $1,000, he shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

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. § 643

    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 726

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 726

  2. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

    Pub. L. 103–322 § 330016(2)(G) · 108 Stat. 1796

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 643

    Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(2)(G), substituted “and shall be fined under this title or in a sum equal to the amount of the money embezzled, whichever is greater, or imprisoned” for “and shall be fined in a sum equal to the amount of the money embezzled or imprisoned”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(2)(G), substituted “and shall be fined under this title or in a sum equal to the amount of the money embezzled, whichever is greater, or imprisoned” for “and shall be fined in a sum equal to the amount of the money embezzled or imprisoned”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (G) in sections 643, 644, 645, 647, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, and 1711 by inserting “under this title or” after “be fined” the first place it appears; and by inserting “, whichever is greater,” before “or imprisoned” the first place it appears;

  3. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

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

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 643

    Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(H), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” after “he shall be”

    Target inherited from the preceding amendment note.

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(H), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” after “he shall be”.

    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”;

  4. Economic Espionage Act of 1996

    Pub. L. 104–294 title VI § 606(a) · 110 Stat. 3488

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 643

    Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “$1,000” for “$100”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “$1,000” for “$100”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (a) Sections 215, 288, 641, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 661, 662, 665, 872, 1003, 1025, 1163, 1361, 1707, 1711, and 2113 of title 18, United States Code, are amended by striking “$100” each place it appears and inserting “$1,000”.

3 of 4 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial

Notes

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 176 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 90, 35 Stat. 1105).

Word “employee” was inserted to avoid ambiguity as to scope of section.

Words “or of any department or agency thereof” were added after the words “United States”. (See definitions of the terms “department” and “agency” in section 6 of this title.)

Mandatory punishment provisions phrased in alternative.

The smaller punishment for an offense involving $100 or less was added. (See reviser’s notes under sections 641 and 645 of this title.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments1994–1996 · 2 rounds

1996

Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “$1,000” for “$100”.

1994

Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(2)(G), substituted “and shall be fined under this title or in a sum equal to the amount of the money embezzled, whichever is greater, or imprisoned” for “and shall be fined in a sum equal to the amount of the money embezzled or imprisoned”.

Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(H), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” after “he shall be”.

Credits

1948–1996 · 3 acts
  1. 1948June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 726
  2. 1994Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), (2)(G), , 108 Stat. 2147, 2148
  3. 1996Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 606(a), , 110 Stat. 3511.
Show as published

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 726; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), (2)(G), , 108 Stat. 2147, 2148; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 606(a), , 110 Stat. 3511.)

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/s643