Concealment, removal, or mutilation generally
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
(a) Whoever and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
(b) Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.
As used in this subsection, the term "office" does not include the office held by any person as a retired officer of the Armed Forces of the United States.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 795 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title V, §552(a), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1566 (PDF, 56 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB).)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime to willfully and unlawfully hide, remove, damage, or destroy records or documents filed with a federal court or public office, or to try to do so. Officials who have custody of such records and hide, falsify, or destroy them face the same crime and also lose their office.