26 U.S.C. § 7208
Section 7208 · Offenses relating to stamps
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 12 court decisions — leading case Matter of Shorter (1990)
Most recently applied in United States v. Larry Stuler (June 2015)
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.
Any person who—
(1) Counterfeiting
With intent to defraud, alters, forges, makes, or counterfeits any stamp, coupon, ticket, book, or other device prescribed under authority of this title for the collection or payment of any tax imposed by this title, or sells, lends, or has in his possession any such altered, forged, or counterfeited stamp, coupon, ticket, book, or other device, or makes, uses, sells, or has in his possession any material in imitation of the material used in the manufacture of such stamp, coupon, ticket, book, or other device; or
(2) Mutilation or removal
Fraudulently cuts, tears, or removes from any vellum, parchment, paper, instrument, writing, package, or article, upon which any tax is imposed by this title, any adhesive stamp or the impression of any stamp, die, plate, or other article provided, made, or used in pursuance of this title; or
(3) Use of mutilated, insufficient, or counterfeited stamps
Fraudulently uses, joins, fixes, or places to, with, or upon any vellum, parchment, paper, instrument, writing, package, or article, upon which any tax is imposed by this title,
(A) any adhesive stamp, or the impression of any stamp, die, plate, or other article, which has been cut, torn, or removed from any other vellum, parchment, paper, instrument, writing, package, or article, upon which any tax is imposed by this title; or
(B) any adhesive stamp or the impression of any stamp, die, plate, or other article of insufficient value; or
(C) any forged or counterfeited stamp, or the impression of any forged or counterfeited stamp, die, plate, or other article; or
(4) Reuse of stamps
(A) Preparation for reuse
Willfully removes, or alters the cancellation or defacing marks of, or otherwise prepares, any adhesive stamp, with intent to use, or cause the same to be used, after it has already been used; or
(B) Trafficking
Knowingly or willfully buys, sells, offers for sale, or gives away, any such washed or restored stamp to any person for use, or knowingly uses the same; or
(C) Possession
Knowingly and without lawful excuse (the burden of proof of such excuse being on the accused) has in possession any washed, restored, altered stamp, which has been removed from any vellum, parchment, paper, instrument, writing, package, or article; or
(5) Emptied stamped packages
Commits the offense described in section 7271 (relating to disposal and receipt of stamped packages) with intent to defraud the revenue, or to defraud any person;
shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $10,000, or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Cross References
Effective date of this chapter, see section 7851 of this title.
Period of limitation on criminal prosecutions, see section 6531 of this title.