Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Whoever, having taken charge of any mail, voluntarily quits or deserts the same before he has delivered it into the post office at the termination of the route, or to some known mail carrier, messenger, agent, or other employee in the Postal Service authorized to receive the same, shall be or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 778 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB).)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime for a person who has taken charge of mail to voluntarily abandon it before delivering it to a post office or an authorized postal worker.