18 U.S.C. § 2312
Section 2312 · Transportation of stolen vehicles
Amended 3 times on record
Applied in 1,576 court decisions — leading case United States v. Maze (1974)
Most recently applied in United States v. Hay (March 2024)
Applied most in the Fifth Circuit Circuit (305 decisions)
Cases citing this section usually also cite 28 U.S.C. § 2255 · 18 U.S.C. § 371 · 18 U.S.C. § 2313
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Whoever transports in interstate or foreign commerce a motor vehicle, vessel, or aircraft, knowing the same to have been stolen, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §408 (Oct. 29, 1919, ch. 89, §§1, 3, 5, 41 Stat. 324, 325; Sept. 24, 1945, ch. 383, §§2, 3, 59 Stat. 536).
The first sentence of said section 408, providing the short title “An Act to punish the transportation of stolen motor vehicles or aircraft in interstate or foreign commerce,” and derived from section 1 of said act of October 29, 1919, as amended, was omitted as not appropriate in a revision.
Definitions of “aircraft,” “motor vehicle,” and “interstate or foreign commerce,” which constituted the second sentence of said section 408 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and were derived from section 2 of said act of October 29, 1919, as amended, are incorporated in sections 10 and 2311 of this title.
Provision relating to receiving or selling stolen aircraft or motor vehicles, which was derived from section 4 of the act of October 29, 1919, as amended, is incorporated in section 2313 of this title.
Venue provision, which was derived from section 5 of the act of October 29, 1919, was omitted as unnecessary, being covered by section 3237 of this title.
Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of “principal” in section 2 of this title.
Minor changes were made in phraseology.
Amendments
2006—Pub. L. 109–177 substituted “motor vehicle, vessel, or aircraft” for “motor vehicle or aircraft”.
1992—Pub. L. 102–519 substituted “fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years” for “fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than five years”.