18 U.S.C. § 1017
Section 1017 · Government seals wrongfully used and instruments wrongfully sealed
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 7 court decisions — leading case United States v. Heldt (1981)
Most recently applied in United States v. Godfrey (May 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.
Whoever fraudulently or wrongfully affixes or impresses the seal of any department or agency of the United States, to or upon any certificate, instrument, commission, document, or paper or with knowledge of its fraudulent character, with wrongful or fraudulent intent, uses, buys, procures, sells, or transfers to another any such certificate, instrument, commission, document, or paper, to which or upon which said seal has been so fraudulently affixed or impressed, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five 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., §130 (June 15, 1917, ch. 30, title X, §1, 40 Stat. 227).
To clarify scope of section and in view of definition of department or agency in section 6 of this title, words “department or agency” were substituted for “executive department, or of any bureau, commission, or office”.
Slight verbal changes were also made.
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”.
Canal Zone
Applicability of section to Canal Zone, see section 14 of this title.
Cross References
Jurisdiction of offenses under this section, see section 3241 of this title.
Letters, writings, etc., in violation of this section as nonmailable, see section 1717 of this title.