16 USC 1859 – Criminal offenses
(a) Offenses
A person is guilty of an offense if he commits any act prohibited by—
(1) section 1857(1)(D), (E), (F), (H), (I), or (L) of this title; or
(2) section 1857(2) of this title.
(b) Punishment
Terms Used In 16 USC 1859
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- observer: means any person required or authorized to be carried on a vessel for conservation and management purposes by regulations or permits under this chapter. See 16 USC 1802
- officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
- person: means any individual (whether or not a citizen or national of the United States), any corporation, partnership, association, or other entity (whether or not organized or existing under the laws of any State), and any Federal, State, local, or foreign government or any entity of any such government. See 16 USC 1802
Any offense described in subsection (a)(1) is punishable by a fine of not more than $100,000, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both; except that if in the commission of any such offense the person uses a dangerous weapon, engages in conduct that causes bodily injury to any observer described in section 1857(1)(L) of this title or any officer authorized to enforce the provisions of this chapter (as provided for in section 1861 of this title), or places any such observer or officer in fear of imminent bodily injury, the offense is punishable by a fine of not more than $200,000, or imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both. Any offense described in subsection (a)(2) is punishable by a fine of not more than $200,000.
(c) Jurisdiction
There is Federal jurisdiction over any offense described in this section.