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Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Part I · Chapter 41 — Extortion and Threats

§ 875. Interstate communications

Statutory text

(a)

Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any demand or request for a ransom or reward for the release of any kidnapped person, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

(b)

Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

(c)

Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

(d)

Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, 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. § 875

    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 741

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 741

  2. Criminal Law and Procedure Technical Amendments Act of 1986

    Pub. L. 99–646 § 63 · 100 Stat. 3592

    Inserted · 18 U.S.C. § 875

    Pub. L. 99–646 inserted “or foreign” after “interstate” wherever appearing

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 99–646 inserted “or foreign” after “interstate” wherever appearing.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    SEC. 63. ADDITION OF FOREIGN COMMERCE TO COMMUNICATION OF THREAT OFFENSES. Section 875 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting “or foreign” after “interstate” each place it appears.

  3. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

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

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 875(a); 18 U.S.C. § 875(b)

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

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(K), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (K) in sections 35, 81, 112, 152, 153, 155, 212, 213, 214, 285, 334, 351, 435, 436, 438, 471, 472, 473, 476, 477, 478, 481, 485, 487, 488, 497, 498, 505, 506, 508, 509, 541, 542, 543, 544, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551, 552, 592, 593, 602, 603, 606, 607, 642, 655, 658, 659, 660, 661, 663, 751, 799, 844, 872, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 914, 915, 924, 953, 954, 956, 1004, 1010, 1011, 1015, 1017, 1025, 1028, 1071, 1073, 1074, 1163, 1169, 1231, 1265, 1363, 1421, 1422, 1423, 1424, 1425, 1426, 1427, 1428, 1429, 1461, 1462, 1463, 1465, 1503, 1505, 1506, 1507, 1510, 1581, 1582, 1583, 1584, 1585, 1588, 1658, 1659, 1717, 1732, 1735, 1737, 1751, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1915, 1991, 2072, 2073, 2113, 2217, 2152, 2197, 2231, 2244, 2314, 2316, 2317, 2344, and 2701 by striking “not more than $5,000” each place it appears and inserting “under this title”;

  4. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

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

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 875(c)

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

    Source evidence

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

    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”;

  5. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

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

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 875(d)

    Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(G), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $500”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(G), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $500”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (G) in sections 4, 41, 42, 46, 47, 112, 154, 244, 288, 290, 336, 475, 501, 502, 755, 872, 875, 876, 877, 917, 1013, 1018, 1024, 1154, 1155, 1156, 1382, 1541, 1700, 1703, 1704, 1707, 1712, 1713, 1720, 1721, 1722, 1729, 1731, 1734, 1752, 1793, 1856, 1857, 1863, 1912, 1913, 1922, 2074, 2195, and 2511 by striking “not more than $500” each place it appears and inserting “under this title”;

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., § 408d (May 18, 1934, ch. 300, 48 Stat. 781; May 15, 1939, ch. 133, § 2, 53 Stat. 743).

Provisions as to district of trial were omitted as covered by sections 3237 and 3239 of this title.

Definition of “interstate commerce” was omitted in conformity with definitive section 10 of this title.

Changes were made in phraseology and arrangement.

Editorial Notes

Amendments1986–1994 · 2 rounds

1994

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

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

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(G), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $500”.

1986

Pub. L. 99–646 inserted “or foreign” after “interstate” wherever appearing.

Credits

1948–1994 · 3 acts
  1. 1948June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 741
  2. 1986Pub. L. 99–646, § 63, , 100 Stat. 3614
  3. 1994Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(G), (H), (K), , 108 Stat. 2147.
Show as published

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 741; Pub. L. 99–646, § 63, , 100 Stat. 3614; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(G), (H), (K), , 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/s875