28 U.S.C. § 1395
Section 1395 · Fine, penalty or forfeiture
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 67 court decisions — leading case United States v. Pieces of Real Property Roswell New Mexico (1994)
Most recently applied in United States v. Younes Nasri (October 2024)
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) A civil proceeding for the recovery of a pecuniary fine, penalty or forfeiture may be prosecuted in the district where it accrues or the defendant is found.
(b) A civil proceeding for the forfeiture of property may be prosecuted in any district where such property is found.
(c) A civil proceeding for the forfeiture of property seized outside any judicial district may be prosecuted in any district into which the property is brought.
(d) A proceeding in admiralty for the enforcement of fines, penalties and forfeitures against a vessel may be brought in any district in which the vessel is arrested.
(e) Any proceeding for the forfeiture of a vessel or cargo entering a port of entry closed by the President in pursuance of law, or of goods and chattels coming from a State or section declared by proclamation of the President to be in insurrection, or of any vessel or vehicle conveying persons or property to or from such State or section or belonging in whole or in part to a resident thereof, may be prosecuted in any district into which the property is taken and in which the proceeding is instituted.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§104, 106, 107, and 108, and section 3745(c) of title 26, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Internal Revenue Code (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, §§43, 45, 46, 47, 36 Stat. 1100; Feb. 10, 1939, ch. 2, §3745(c), 53 Stat. 460).
This section consolidates section 3745(c) of title 26, U.S.C., 1940 ed., with sections 104, 106, 107, and 108 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., relating to venue in civil proceedings to recover and enforce civil fines, penalties, and forfeitures, pecuniary or otherwise. Subsection (a) is based on said section 104 of title 28 and said section 3745(c) of title 26. Subsections (b) and (c) consolidate such sections 106 and 107 of title 28. Subsection (e) is based on such section 108 of title 28.
Subsection (b) substituted words “may be prosecuted in any district where such property is found” for “shall be prosecuted in the district where the seizure is made,” to include not only property seized, but also all other property subject to forfeiture.
Words “civil” and “fine” were inserted to make this section applicable to the many provisions of the United States Code for fines essentially civil. (See reviser's note under section 1355 of this title.)
Provisions of section 3745(c) of title 26, U.S.C., 1940 ed., that such suit may be brought “before any other court of competent jurisdiction” were omitted as misleading surplusage, since United States district courts, under section 1355 of this title, have exclusive jurisdiction.
Subsection (d) was added for completeness and clarity.
Changes were made in phraseology.
Senate Revision Amendment
While section 3745(c) of Title 26, U.S.C., Internal Revenue Code, is one of the sources of this section, it was eliminated from the schedule of repeals by Senate amendment. Therefore, such section 3745(c) remains in Title 26. See 80th Congress Senate Report No. 1559.
Cross References
Jurisdiction of district court in action to recover fines, penalties, or forfeitures, see section 1355 of this title.