18 U.S.C. § 1516 — Obstruction of Federal audit

Page 400 TITLE 18—CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE § 1516 personally or by influencing another, including making a false or misleading statement, or withholding, concealing, altering, or destroying a document or other information. (c) This chapter does not prohibit or punish the providing of lawful, bona fide, legal rep- resentation services in connection with or an- ticipation of an official proceeding. (Added Pub. L. 97–291, § 4(a), Oct. 12, 1982, 96 Stat. 1252; amended Pub. L. 99–646, § 50(b), Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat. 3605; Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7029(b), (d), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4398; Pub. L. 101–650, title III, § 321, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5117; Pub. L. 102–572, title IX, § 902(b)(1), Oct. 29, 1992, 106 Stat. 4516; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXII, § 320604(a), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2118; Pub. L. 104–292, § 3, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3460; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 604(b)(39), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3509.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 1996—Subsec. (a)(1)(D). Pub. L. 104–294 struck out ‘‘or’’ after semicolon at end. Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 104–292 added subsec. (b) and redesignated former subsec. (b) as (c). 1994—Subsec. (a)(1)(D). Pub. L. 103–322 added subpar. (D). 1992—Subsec. (a)(1)(A). Pub. L. 102–572 substituted ‘‘United States Court of Federal Claims’’ for ‘‘United States Claims Court’’. 1988—Subsec. (a)(1)(A). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7029(b), in- serted ‘‘a judge of the United States Tax Court, a spe- cial trial judge of the Tax Court, a judge of the United States Claims Court,’’ after ‘‘bankruptcy judge,’’. Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7029(d), added par. (6). 1986—Pub. L. 99–646 inserted ‘‘; general provision’’ in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), and added subsec. (b). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries CHANGE OF NAME ‘‘United States magistrate judge’’ substituted for ‘‘United States magistrate’’ in subsec. (a)(1)(A) pursu- ant to section 321 of Pub. L. 101–650, set out as a note under section 631 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure. EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1996 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 104–294 effective Sept. 13, 1994, see section 604(d) of Pub. L. 104–294, set out as a note under section 13 of this title. EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1992 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 102–572 effective Oct. 29, 1992, see section 911 of Pub. L. 102–572, set out as a note under section 171 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure. EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective Oct. 12, 1982, see section 9(a) of Pub. L. 97–291, set out as a note under section 1512 of this title. § 1516. Obstruction of Federal audit (a) Whoever, with intent to deceive or defraud the United States, endeavors to influence, ob- struct, or impede a Federal auditor in the per- formance of official duties relating to a person, entity, or program receiving in excess of $100,000, directly or indirectly, from the United States in any 1 year period under a contract or subcontract, grant, or cooperative agreement, or relating to any property that is security for a mortgage note that is insured, guaranteed, ac- quired, or held by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to any Act admin- istered by the Secretary, or relating to any property that is security for a loan that is made or guaranteed under title V of the Housing Act of 1949, shall be fined under this title, or impris- oned not more than 5 years, or both. (b) For purposes of this section— (1) the term ‘‘Federal auditor’’ means any person employed on a full- or part-time or con- tractual basis to perform an audit or a quality assurance inspection for or on behalf of the United States; and (2) the term ‘‘in any 1 year period’’ has the meaning given to the term ‘‘in any one-year period’’ in section 666. (Added Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7078(a), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4406; amended Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXII, § 320609, Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2120; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 604(b)(43), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3509; Pub. L. 105–65, title V, § 564, Oct. 27, 1997, 111 Stat. 1420; Pub. L. 106–569, title VII, § 709(b), Dec. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 3018; Pub. L. 107–273, div. A, title II, § 205(c), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1778.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT The Housing Act of 1949, referred to in subsec. (a), is act July 15, 1949, ch. 338, 63 Stat. 413. Title V of the Act is classified generally to subchapter III (§ 1471 et seq.) of chapter 8A of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1441 of Title 42 and Tables. AMENDMENTS 2002—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–273 inserted ‘‘, entity, or program’’ after ‘‘person’’ and ‘‘grant, or cooperative agreement,’’ after ‘‘subcontract,’’. 2000—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–569 inserted ‘‘or relating to any property that is security for a loan that is made or guaranteed under title V of the Housing Act of 1949,’’ before ‘‘shall be fined under this title’’. 1997—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–65 inserted ‘‘or relating to any property that is security for a mortgage note that is insured, guaranteed, acquired, or held by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to any Act administered by the Secretary,’’ after ‘‘under a contract or subcontract,’’. 1996—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 104–294 inserted ‘‘and’’ after semicolon at end. 1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted ‘‘sec- tion—’’ for ‘‘section’’, inserted ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘the term’’, substituted semicolon for the period at end, and added par. (2). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1996 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 104–294 effective Sept. 13, 1994, see section 604(d) of Pub. L. 104–294, set out as a note under section 13 of this title. § 1517. Obstructing examination of financial in- stitution Whoever corruptly obstructs or attempts to obstruct any examination of a financial institu- tion by an agency of the United States with ju- risdiction to conduct an examination of such fi-