18 U.S.C. § 2313
Section 2313 · Sale or receipt of stolen vehicles
Amended 5 times on record
Applied in 433 court decisions — leading case Johnson v. United States (1979)
Most recently applied in United States v. Robert Brandon Malone (October 2022)
Applied most in the Fifth Circuit Circuit (83 decisions)
Cases citing this section usually also cite 18 U.S.C. § 2312 · 18 U.S.C. § 371 · 18 U.S.C. § 922
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.
(a) Whoever receives, possesses, conceals, stores, barters, sells, or disposes of any motor vehicle, vessel, or aircraft, which has crossed a State or United States boundary after being stolen, knowing the same to have been stolen, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.
(b) For purposes of this section, the term “State” includes a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.
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, §4, 41 Stat. 325; Sept. 24, 1945, ch. 383, §§2, 3, 59 Stat. 536).
Section constitutes the fourth sentence of said section 408 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed.
Definitions of “aircraft,” “motor vehicle,” and “interstate or foreign commerce,” which constituted the second sentence of said section 408, are incorporated in sections 10 and 2311 of this title.
The third sentence of said section 408, relating to transporting stolen aircraft or motor vehicles, is incorporated in section 2312 of this title.
The first sentence of said section 408, providing the short title, and the fifth sentence thereof, relating to venue, were omitted. (See reviser's note under section 2312 of this title.)
Minor changes were made in phraseology.
Amendments
2006—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–177 substituted “motor vehicle, vessel, or aircraft” for “motor vehicle or aircraft”.
1992—Subsec. (a). 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”.
1990—Pub. L. 101–647 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).
1984—Pub. L. 98–547 inserted “possesses,” after “receives,” and substituted “which has crossed a State or United States boundary after being stolen,” for “moving as, or which is a part of, or which constitutes interstate or foreign commerce,”.