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Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Part I · Chapter 31 — Embezzlement and Theft

§ 651. Disbursing officer falsely certifying full payment

Statutory text

Whoever, being an officer charged with the disbursement of the public moneys, accepts, receives, or transmits to the Government Accountability Office to be allowed in his favor any receipt or voucher from a creditor of the United States without having paid the full amount specified therein to such creditor in such funds as the officer received for disbursement, or in such funds as he may be authorized by law to take in exchange, shall be fined under this title or in double the amount so withheld, whichever is greater, or imprisoned not more than two years, or both; but if the amount withheld 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. § 651

    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 727

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 727

  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. § 651

    Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(2)(G), substituted “shall be fined under this title or in double the amount so withheld, whichever is greater, or imprisoned” for “shall be fined in double the amount so withheld or imprisoned”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(2)(G), substituted “shall be fined under this title or in double the amount so withheld, whichever is greater, or imprisoned” for “shall be fined in double the amount so withheld 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. § 651

    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. § 651

    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”.

  5. GAO Human Capital Reform Act of 2004

    Pub. L. 108–271 § 8(b) · 118 Stat. 811

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 651

    Pub. L. 108–271 substituted “Government Accountability Office” for “General Accounting Office”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 108–271 substituted “Government Accountability Office” for “General Accounting Office”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (b) References.— Any reference to the General Accounting Office in any law, rule, regulation, certificate, directive, instruction, or other official paper in force on the date of enactment of this Act shall be considered to refer and apply to the Government Accountability Office.

4 of 5 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial

Notes

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 181 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 95, 35 Stat. 1106; June 10, 1921, ch. 18, § 304, 42 Stat. 24).

The penalty provided by section 652 of this title, a similar section, was incorporated in this section.

(For explanation of the smaller penalty for an offense involving $100 or less, see reviser’s notes under sections 641 and 645 of this title.)

Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments1994–2004 · 3 rounds

2004

Pub. L. 108–271 substituted “Government Accountability Office” for “General Accounting Office”.

1996

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

1994

Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(2)(G), substituted “shall be fined under this title or in double the amount so withheld, whichever is greater, or imprisoned” for “shall be fined in double the amount so withheld 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

1948–2004 · 4 acts
  1. 1948June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 727
  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
  4. 2004Pub. L. 108–271, § 8(b), , 118 Stat. 814.
Show as published

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 727; 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; Pub. L. 108–271, § 8(b), , 118 Stat. 814.)

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/s651