U.S. Code » Title 18 » Part PART I— CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 81— PIRACY AND PRIVATEERING

18 U.S.C. § 1658

Plunder of distressed vessel

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(a) Whoever plunders, steals, or destroys any money, goods, merchandise, or other effects from or belonging to any vessel in distress, or wrecked, lost, stranded, or cast away, upon the sea, or upon any reef, shoal, bank, or rocks of the sea, or in any other place within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.(b) Whoever willfully obstructs the escape of any person endeavoring to save his life from such vessel, or the wreck thereof; or

Whoever holds out or shows any false light, or extinguishes any true light, with intent to bring any vessel sailing upon the sea into danger or distress or shipwreck—

Shall be imprisoned not less than ten years and may be imprisoned for life.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 775; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 488 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 297, 35 Stat. 1146).

Mandatory punishment provision in subsection (a) was rephrased in the alternative.

Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial NotesAmendments

1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1970–2024 · leading case: United States v. Polizzi
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United States v. Polizzi (2008) nyed “§ 1655 Piracy in the form of assault on a commander Life 18 U.S.C. § 1658 (b) Preventing escape from a sinking vessel OR holding out a 10 years false light, or extinguishing a true light with intent to cause distress to a sailing vessel 18 U.”
United States v. Terry Wayne Denson, Stephen Orlando and Joseph James Janish, Defendants- in Re United States of America (1979) ca5 “§ 1201 (kidnaping); 18 U.S.C.A. § 1658 (plunder of distressed vessel); 18 U.”
Ionian Shipping Co. v. British Law Insurance Co. (1970) nysd “For example, it is suggested that those questions dealing with the witness’s employment as Master of the “SOPHIA M” and his actions in connection with the loss of the vessel, if answered in the affirmative, would spell out the statutory crime of Plunder of a Distressed Vessel,…”
W. v. Yale University (2024) ctd “However, as Plaintiff pointed out in her opposition, and Defendants conceded in their reply, the statute of limitations for claims under § 1981 is four years, set by 18 U.S.C. § 1658 . Pl.’s Opp’n at 8; Defs.”
(PS) Rile v. Land Home Financial Services Inc (2024) caed “It is certainly true that Plaintiff’s allegations are 24 too conclusory to plausibly show that the moving Defendants committed fraud or otherwise 25 26 1 Plaintiff does not explain what he means by “piracy” in this part of the TAC, though he elsewhere refers to the federal…”
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