(a) Whoever, by any fraud or false pretense, enters or attempts to enter—

(1) any real property belonging in whole or in part to, or leased by, the United States;

(2) any vessel or aircraft belonging in whole or in part to, or leased by, the United States;

(3) any secure or restricted area of any seaport, designated as secure in an approved security plan, as required under section 70103 of title 46, United States Code, and the rules and regulations promulgated under that section; or

(4) any secure area of any airport,


shall be punished as provided in subsection (b) of this section.

Terms Used In 18 USC 1036

  • agency: includes any department, independent establishment, commission, administration, authority, board or bureau of the United States or any corporation in which the United States has a proprietary interest, unless the context shows that such term was intended to be used in a more limited sense. See 18 USC 6
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • seaport: means all piers, wharves, docks, and similar structures, adjacent to any waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, to which a vessel may be secured, including areas of land, water, or land and water under and in immediate proximity to such structures, buildings on or contiguous to such structures, and the equipment and materials on such structures or in such buildings. See 18 USC 26
  • United States: as used in this title in a territorial sense, includes all places and waters, continental or insular, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, except the Canal Zone. See 18 USC 5
  • vessel: includes every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water. See 1 USC 3
  • whoever: include corporations, companies, associations, firms, partnerships, societies, and joint stock companies, as well as individuals. See 1 USC 1

(b) The punishment for an offense under subsection (a) of this section is—

(1) a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both, if the offense is committed with the intent to commit a felony; or

(2) a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both, in any other case.


(c) As used in this section—

(1) the term “secure area” means an area access to which is restricted by the airport authority, captain of the seaport, or a public agency; and

(2) the term “airport” has the meaning given such term in section 47102 of title 49.