7 USC 87c – Criminal penalties
(a) Any person who commits any offense prohibited by section 87b of this title (except an offense prohibited by paragraphs (a)(7), (a)(8), and (b)(4) in which case the person shall be subject to the general penal statutes in title 18 relating to crimes and offenses against the United States) shall be guilty of a felony and shall, on conviction thereof, be subject to imprisonment for not more than five years, or a fine of not more than $20,000, or both such imprisonment and fine.
Terms Used In 7 USC 87c
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Department of Agriculture: means the United States Department of Agriculture. See 7 USC 75
- officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
- person: means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other business entity. See 7 USC 75
- Secretary: means the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States or delegates of the Secretary. See 7 USC 75
(b) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as requiring the Secretary to report minor violations of this chapter for criminal prosecution whenever the Secretary believes that the public interest will be adequately served by a suitable written notice or warning, or to report any violation of this chapter for prosecution when the Secretary believes that institution of a proceeding under section 86 of this title will obtain compliance with this chapter and the Secretary institutes such a proceeding.
(c) Any officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture assigned to perform weighing functions under this chapter shall be considered as an employee of the Department of Agriculture assigned to perform inspection functions for the purposes of sections 1114 and 111 of Title 18.