§ 1692
Foreign mail as United States mail
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Every foreign mail, while being transported across the territory of the United States under authority of law, is mail of the United States, and any depredation thereon, or offense in respect thereto, shall be punishable as though it were United States mail.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 776 (PDF, 39 MB).)
Simplified explanation
Foreign mail being carried across the United States under legal authority counts as U.S. mail. Any theft, damage, or other crime involving it is punished as if it were U.S. mail.