U.S. Code » Title 18 » Part PART I— CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 25— COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY

18 U.S.C. § 470

Counterfeit acts committed outside the United States

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A person who, outside the United States, engages in the act of—(1) making, dealing, or possessing any counterfeit obligation or other security of the United States; or(2) making, dealing, or possessing any plate, stone, analog, digital, or electronic image, or other thing, or any part thereof, used to counterfeit such obligation or security,if such act would constitute a violation of section 471, 473, or 474 if committed within the United States, shall be punished as is provided for the like offense within the United States.(Added Pub. L. 103–322, title XII, § 120003(a), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2021; amended Pub. L. 107–56, title III, § 374(a), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 340.)Editorial NotesAmendments

2001—Pub. L. 107–56, § 374(a)(2), in concluding provisions, substituted “shall be punished as is provided for the like offense within the United States” for “shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both”.

Par. (2). Pub. L. 107–56, § 374(a)(1), inserted “analog, digital, or electronic image,” after “plate, stone,”.

Statutory Notes and Related SubsidiariesShort Title of 1992 Amendment

Pub. L. 102–550, title XV, § 1551, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4070, provided that: “This subtitle [subtitle E (§§ 1551–1554) of title XV of Pub. L. 102–550, enacting section 474A of this title and amending sections 474 and 504 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Counterfeit Deterrence Act of 1992’.”

Combatting International Counterfeiting of United States Currency

Pub. L. 104–132, title VIII, § 807, Apr. 24, 1996, 110 Stat. 1308, which directed the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the advanced counterfeit deterrence steering committee, to study the use and counterfeiting of United States currency abroad, develop an evaluation audit plan, and submit written reports to Congress, ceased to be effective on Apr. 24, 2006.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 15 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1995–2025 · leading case: United States v. Carmen Hernandez, 325 F.3d 811 (7th Cir. 2003).
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United States v. Carmen Hernandez, 325 F.3d 811 (7th Cir. 2003). · cites it 10× “A (2001); it also applies to violations of other sections, including 18 U.S.C. § 470 , which punishes counterfeit acts committed outside of the United States.”
United States v. Goncalves, 613 F.3d 601 (5th Cir. 2010). · cites it 5× “§ 472 because the Guideline applies only to convictions under 18 U.S.C. § 470 . Alternatively, he argues that there is insufficient evidence from which to find that part of the relevant conduct took place outside the United States.”
United States v. Ashon Leftenant, 341 F.3d 338 (4th Cir. 2003). “On November 13, 2001, criminal complaints were filed against Leftenant and Freeman in the Eastern District of Virginia, charging them with possession of counterfeit obligations of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 470 . On November 26, 2001, Leftenant and Freeman…”
United States v. Powell, 767 F.3d 1026 (10th Cir. 2014). · cites it 2× “While it is certainly true that the United States can prove the intent-to-deceive element of § 513(a) by proving an intent to deceive a "government,” the only securities at issue in § 513(a) are securities of an "organization” or “a State or a political subdivision thereof.”
United States v. Martinez-Gonzalez, 663 F.3d 1305 (11th Cir. 2011). · cites it 2× “18 U.S.C. § 470 et seq. This Court has reviewed those statutes, and the vast majority of them proscribe uttering and/or possessing forged instruments or the equipment used to create those instruments.”
United States v. Chen Chiang Liu, 631 F.3d 993 (9th Cir. 2011). “On August 17, 2005, a grand jury in the Central District of California returned an indictment (the “California indictment”) charging Liu and three co-defendants with one count of conspiring to (1) “make, deal, and possess counterfeit United States currency outside of the United…”
United States v. Rodney M. Anderson, 72 F.3d 563 (7th Cir. 1995). “Compare 18 U.S.C. § 470 with 21 U.S.C. § 841 (b)(1)(D).”
United States v. Corrigan Clay, 128 F.4th 163 (3rd Cir. 2025). “g., 15 U.S.C. §§ 78dd-1 et seq. (bribing foreign government officials); 18 U.”
United States v. Goncalves, 613 F.3d 601 (5th Cir. 2010). · cites it 4× “§ 472 because the Guideline applies only to convictions under 18 U.S.C. § 470 . Alternatively, he argues that there is insufficient evidence from which to find that part of the relevant conduct took place outside the United States.”
United States v. Hernandez, Carmen (7th Cir. 2003). · cites it 10× “A (2001); it also applies to violations of other sections, including 18 U.S.C. § 470 , which punishes counterfeit acts committed outside of the United States.”
Williams v. Taylor (S.D. Ohio 2024). “§ 2241 ); (4) forgery ( 18 U.S.C. § 470 ); (5) harboring a fugitive ( 18 U.”
Smith v. Castelo (E.D. Wash. 2023). “17 18 U.S.C. §§ 470 , 472. Section 473 criminalizes persons engaged in acts of 18 forgery.”
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