                 TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
 
                             PART I--CRIMES
 
                CHAPTER 33--EMBLEMS, INSIGNIA, AND NAMES
 
Sec. 712. Misuse of names, words, emblems, or insignia

    Whoever, in the course of collecting or aiding in the collection of 
private debts or obligations, or being engaged in furnishing private 
police, investigation, or other private detective services, uses or 
employs in any communication, correspondence, notice, advertisement, or 
circular the words ``national'', ``Federal'', or ``United States'', the 
initials ``U.S.'', or any emblem, insignia, or name, for the purpose of 
conveying and in a manner reasonably calculated to convey the false 
impression that such communication is from a department, agency, bureau, 
or instrumentality of the United States or in any manner represents the 
United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more 
than one year, or both.

(Added Pub. L. 86-291, Sec. 1, Sept. 21, 1959, 73 Stat. 570; amended 
Pub. L. 93-147, Sec. 1(a), Nov. 3, 1973, 87 Stat. 554; Pub. L. 103-322, 
title XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)


                               Amendments

    1994--Pub. L. 103-322 substituted ``fined under this title'' for 
``fined not more than $1,000''.
    1973--Pub. L. 93-147 substituted ``Misuse of names, words, emblems, 
or insignia'' for ``Misuse of names by collecting agencies or private 
detective agencies to indicate Federal agency'' in section catchline and 
substituted ``in the course'' and ``such communication is from a 
department'' for ``being engaged in the business'' and ``such business 
is a department'' respectively, and struck out ``as part of the firm 
name of such business,'' after ``detective services, uses''.


                             Effective Date

    Section 2 of Pub. L. 86-291 provided that: ``The provisions of this 
section [enacting this section] shall become effective sixty days from 
the enactment thereof [Sept. 21, 1959].''
