U.S. Code » Title 18 » Part PART I— CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 83— POSTAL SERVICE

18 U.S.C. § 1708

Theft or receipt of stolen mail matter gen­erally

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Whoever steals, takes, or abstracts, or by fraud or deception obtains, or attempts so to obtain, from or out of any mail, post office, or station thereof, letter box, mail receptacle, or any mail route or other authorized depository for mail matter, or from a letter or mail carrier, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or abstracts or removes from any such letter, package, bag, or mail, any article or thing contained therein, or secretes, embezzles, or destroys any such letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein; or

Whoever steals, takes, or abstracts, or by fraud or deception obtains any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein which has been left for collection upon or adjacent to a collection box or other authorized depository of mail matter; or

Whoever buys, receives, or conceals, or unlawfully has in his possession, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein, which has been so stolen, taken, embezzled, or abstracted, as herein described, knowing the same to have been stolen, taken, embezzled, or abstracted—

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 955 cases (57 in the last 5 years), 1949–2026 · leading case: United States v. Denise Robertson
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United States v. Denise Robertson (2018) ca9 · cites it 3× “The panel held that the district court did not err in denying the defendant’s motion to dismiss the indictment on due process grounds based on the government’s failure to preserve a video of a Postal Service employee parking lot.”
United States v. Watson (1975) scotus · cites it 6× “These cards were the basis for two counts of a four-count indictment charging Watson with possessing stolen mail in violation of 18 U. S. C. § 1708 . [2] Prior to trial, Watson moved to suppress the cards, claiming that his arrest was illegal for want of probable cause and an…”
United States v. Pepper Sue Hinson (2005) ca5 · cites it 4× “I Pepper Sue Hinson pleaded guilty to the possession of stolen mail, which constituted a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708 . The district court sentenced her to a 30-month term of imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release.”
Sat Jagroop Singh Randhawa v. John Ashcroft, Attorney General (2002) ca9 · cites it 5× “On January 6,1997, and pursuant to a plea agreement, Randhawa pled guilty to only the count charging him with possession of stolen mail in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708 . According to the judgment form, Randha-wa was “committed to the custody of the United States Bureau of…”
United States v. Sebe T. Woody (1995) ca7 · cites it 6× “§ 111 and one count of possessing stolen mail in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708 . On appeal, Woody contends that the district court committed reversible errors, including improperly joining the stolen mail and assault charges for trial, erroneously denying the defense motion to…”
United States v. Julius Paul Sager (2000) ca9 · cites it 5× “TROTT, Circuit Judge: Julius Sager appeals his conviction and sentence imposed for theft of mail and possession of stolen mail in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708 . On appeal, Sager asserts numerous claims, including ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct,…”
Rasheen v. Adner (2019) nynd · cites it 4× “related to the failure to investigate; (6) claims related to violations of certain DOCCS' Directives; (7) Fourteenth Amendment due process claims related to disciplinary confinement; (8) Eighth Amendment claims related to his conditions of confinement; (9) equal protection and…”
United States v. Lovasco (1977) scotus · cites it 2× “In the instant case, for example, since respondent admitted possessing at least five of the firearms, the primary factual issue in dispute was whether respondent knew the guns were stolen as required by 18 U. S. C. § 1708 . Not surprisingly, the Postal Inspector's report…”
United States v. Orange Jell Beechum (1978) ca5 · cites it 2× “credit cards found in Beeehum’s wallet when he was arrested. Neither card was issued to Beechum, and neither was signed.”
United States v. Hunt (2000) ca10 · cites it 12× “A grand jury indicted Defendants-Ap-pellees Allen Hunt and Michelle Jones (Defendants) on 16 counts of theft from the mail in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708 . During a bench trial, the district judge entered a judgment stating: “I find and conclude that the defendants are not…”
Animal Legal Defense Fund v. Wasden (2018) ca9 · cites it 2× “” Idaho Code § 18-2403 ; see also 18 U.S.C. § 1708 (“Whoever . . . by fraud or deception obtains .”
United States v. Joseph Indelicato, United States of America v. Richard F. Nutile (1979) ca1 · cites it 4× “Defendants-appellánts Richard Nutile and Joseph Indelicate were convicted by a jury on three counts of unlawfully and willfully possessing United States Treasury checks stolen from the mails, 18 U.S.C. § 1708 , 1 three counts of uttering and publishing as true the same United…”
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