Theft or alteration of record or process; false bail
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Whoever feloniously steals, takes away, alters, falsifies, or otherwise avoids any record, writ, process, or other proceeding, in any court of the United States, whereby any judgment is reversed, made void, or does not take effect; or
Whoever acknowledges, or procures to be acknowledged in any such court, any recognizance, bail, or judgment, in the name of any other person not privy or consenting to the same—
Shall be or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 770 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB).)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime to steal, alter, or falsify a federal court record or legal paper in a way that causes a judgment to be reversed, voided, or not take effect. It is also a crime to acknowledge bail, a bond, or a judgment in a federal court in another person's name without that person's agreement.