18 USC 553 – Importation or exportation of stolen motor vehicles, off-highway mobile equipment, vessels, or aircraft
(a) Whoever knowingly imports, exports, or attempts to import or export—
(1) any motor vehicle, off-highway mobile equipment, vessel, aircraft, or part of any motor vehicle, off-highway mobile equipment, vessel, or aircraft, knowing the same to have been stolen; or
(2) any motor vehicle or off-highway mobile equipment or part of any motor vehicle or off-highway mobile equipment, knowing that the identification number of such motor vehicle, equipment, or part has been removed, obliterated, tampered with, or altered;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.
Terms Used In 18 USC 553
- vehicle: includes every description of carriage or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on land. See 1 USC 4
- 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) Subsection (a)(2) shall not apply if the removal, obliteration, tampering, or alteration—
(1) is caused by collision or fire; or
(2)(A) in the case of a motor vehicle, is not a violation of section 511 of this title (relating to altering or removing motor vehicle identification numbers); or
(B) in the case of off-highway mobile equipment, would not be a violation of section 511 of this title if such equipment were a motor vehicle.
(c) As used in this section, the term—
(1) “motor vehicle” has the meaning given that term in section 32101 of title 49;
(2) “off-highway mobile equipment” means any self-propelled agricultural equipment, self-propelled construction equipment, and self-propelled special use equipment, used or designed for running on land but not on rail or highway;
(3) “vessel” has the meaning given that term in section 401 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1401);
(4) “aircraft” has the meaning given that term in section 40102(a) of title 49; and
(5) “identification number”—
(A) in the case of a motor vehicle, has the meaning given that term in section 511 of this title; and
(B) in the case of any other vehicle or equipment covered by this section, means a number or symbol assigned to the vehicle or equipment, or part thereof, by the manufacturer primarily for the purpose of identifying such vehicle, equipment, or part.