18 U.S.C. § 3571
Section 3571 · Sentence of fine
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 308 court decisions — leading case Blanton v. City of North Las Vegas (1989)
Most recently applied in United States v. Gregory Johnson (March 2025)
Applied most in the Ninth Circuit Circuit (27 decisions)
Cases citing this section usually also cite 18 U.S.C. § 3553 · 18 U.S.C. § 3572 · 18 U.S.C. § 371
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) In General.—A defendant who has been found guilty of an offense may be sentenced to pay a fine.
(b) Fines for Individuals.—Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, an individual who has been found guilty of an offense may be fined not more than the greatest of—
(1) the amount specified in the law setting forth the offense;
(2) the applicable amount under subsection (d) of this section;
(3) for a felony, not more than $250,000;
(4) for a misdemeanor resulting in death, not more than $250,000;
(5) for a Class A misdemeanor that does not result in death, not more than $100,000;
(6) for a Class B or C misdemeanor that does not result in death, not more than $5,000; or
(7) for an infraction, not more than $5,000.
(c) Fines for Organizations.—Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, an organization that has been found guilty of an offense may be fined not more than the greatest of—
(1) the amount specified in the law setting forth the offense;
(2) the applicable amount under subsection (d) of this section;
(3) for a felony, not more than $500,000;
(4) for a misdemeanor resulting in death, not more than $500,000;
(5) for a Class A misdemeanor that does not result in death, not more than $200,000;
(6) for a Class B or C misdemeanor that does not result in death, not more than $10,000; and
(7) for an infraction, not more than $10,000.
(d) Alternative Fine Based on Gain or Loss.—If any person derives pecuniary gain from the offense, or if the offense results in pecuniary loss to a person other than the defendant, the defendant may be fined not more than the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss, unless imposition of a fine under this subsection would unduly complicate or prolong the sentencing process.
(e) Special Rule for Lower Fine Specified in Substantive Provision.—If a law setting forth an offense specifies no fine or a fine that is lower than the fine otherwise applicable under this section and such law, by specific reference, exempts the offense from the applicability of the fine otherwise applicable under this section, the defendant may not be fined more than the amount specified in the law setting forth the offense.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Prior Provisions
For a prior section 3571, applicable to offenses committed prior to Nov. 1, 1987, see note set out preceding section 3551 of this title.
Amendments
1987—Pub. L. 100–185 amended section generally, revising and restating as subsecs. (a) to (e) provisions formerly contained in subsecs. (a) and (b).
Effective Date
Section effective Nov. 1, 1987, and applicable only to offenses committed after the taking effect of this section, see section 235(a)(1) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as a note under section 3551 of this title.