Government property or contracts
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Whoever injures or commits any depredation against any property of the United States, or of any department or agency thereof, or any property which has been or is being manufactured or constructed for the United States, or any department or agency thereof, or to commit any of the foregoing offenses, shall be punished as follows:
If the damage or attempted damage to such property exceeds the sum of $1,000, by a or imprisonment for not more than ten years, or both; if the damage or attempted damage to such property does not exceed the sum of $1,000, by a or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 764 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXII, §320903(d)(1), title XXXIII, §330016(1)(H), (L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2125 (PDF, 52 MB), 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, §§601(a)(3), 605(e), 606(a), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3498, 3510, 3511.)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime to willfully damage or destroy property of the United States or a federal agency, or property being made or built for the government. Trying to do so is also a crime.