§ 553. — Importation or exportation of stolen motor vehicles, offhighway mobile equipment, vessels, or aircraft.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC553]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 27--CUSTOMS
Sec. 553. Importation or exportation of stolen motor vehicles,
off-highway mobile equipment, vessels, or aircraft
(a) Whoever knowingly imports, exports, or attempts to import or
export--
(1) any motor vehicle, off-highway mobile equipment, vessel,
aircraft, or part of any motor vehicle, off-highway mobile
equipment, vessel, or aircraft, knowing the same to have been
stolen; or
(2) any motor vehicle or off-highway mobile equipment or part of
any motor vehicle or off-highway mobile equipment, knowing that the
identification number of such motor vehicle, equipment, or part has
been removed, obliterated, tampered with, or altered;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or
both.
(b) Subsection (a)(2) shall not apply if the removal, obliteration,
tampering, or alteration--
(1) is caused by collision or fire; or
(2)(A) in the case of a motor vehicle, is not a violation of
section 511 of this title (relating to altering or removing motor
vehicle identification numbers); or
(B) in the case of off-highway mobile equipment, would not be a
violation of section 511 of this title if such equipment were a
motor vehicle.
(c) As used in this section, the term--
(1) ``motor vehicle'' has the meaning given that term in section
32101 of title 49;
(2) ``off-highway mobile equipment'' means any self-propelled
agricultural equipment, self-propelled construction equipment, and
self-propelled special use equipment, used or designed for running
on land but not on rail or highway;
(3) ``vessel'' has the meaning given that term in section 401 of
the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1401);
(4) ``aircraft'' has the meaning given that term in section
40102(a) of title 49; and
(5) ``identification number''--
(A) in the case of a motor vehicle, has the meaning given
that term in section 511 of this title; and
(B) in the case of any other vehicle or equipment covered by
this section, means a number or symbol assigned to the vehicle
or equipment, or part thereof, by the manufacturer primarily for
the purpose of identifying such vehicle, equipment, or part.
(Added Pub. L. 98-547, title III, Sec. 301(a), Oct. 25, 1984, 98 Stat.
2771; amended Pub. L. 100-690, title VII, Sec. 7021, Nov. 18, 1988, 102
Stat. 4396; Pub. L. 102-519, title I, Sec. 102, Oct. 25, 1992, 106 Stat.
3385; Pub. L. 103-272, Sec. 5(e)(5), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1374.)
Amendments
1994--Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 103-272, Sec. 5(e)(5)(A), substituted
``section 32101 of title 49'' for ``section 2 of the Motor Vehicle
Information and Cost Savings Act''.
Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 103-272, Sec. 5(e)(5)(B), substituted
``section 40102(a) of title 49'' for ``section 101 of the Federal
Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. App. 1301)''.
1992--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102-519 substituted ``fined under this
title or imprisoned not more than 10 years'' for ``fined not more than
$15,000 or imprisoned not more than five years'' in concluding
provisions.
1988--Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 100-690 amended par. (2) generally.
Prior to amendment, par. (2) read as follows: ``is not a violation of
section 511 of this title.''
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 981, 982 of this title.
