(a) Wherever in this title it is an element of an offense that—

(1) any property was embezzled, robbed, stolen, converted, taken, altered, counterfeited, falsely made, forged, or obliterated; and

(2) the defendant knew that the property was of such character;


such element may be established by proof that the defendant, after or as a result of an official representation as to the nature of the property, believed the property to be embezzled, robbed, stolen, converted, taken, altered, counterfeited, falsely made, forged, or obliterated.

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Terms Used In 18 USC 21

  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1

(b) For purposes of this section, the term “official representation” means any representation made by a Federal law enforcement officer (as defined in section 115) or by another person at the direction or with the approval of such an officer.