§ 2
Principals
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
(a) Whoever commits an offense against the United States or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal.
(b) Whoever causes an act to be done which if directly performed by him or another would be an offense against the United States, is punishable as a principal.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 684 (PDF, 39 MB); Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 655, §17b, 65 Stat. 717 (PDF, 4.2 MB).)
Simplified explanation
Anyone who helps, encourages, orders, or talks someone else into committing a federal crime can be punished as if they had committed it themselves. The same is true for anyone who deliberately causes another person to carry out an act that would be a federal crime.