Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 53 Part 2.djvu/268

 PUBLIC LAWS-CHS. 133, 134-MAY 15, 1939 Penalty. Prosecution. Proviso. Venue. Federal Kidnaping Act, amendments. 48 Stat. 781. 18U.S. C. 5408d. Transmission in in- terstate commerce of demand forransom for release of any kid- naped person. Threat to kidnap or injure with intent to extort. Penalty. Transmission of threats to kidnap, etc. Transmission of threats to injure prop- erty, etc., with intent to extort. Penalty. Prosecution. Ilroriso. Venue. "Interstate com- merce", construed. person of a crime, shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both. "(d) Any person violating this section may be prosecuted either in the district into which such letter or other communication was carried by the United States mail for delivery according to the direc- tion thereon, or in which it was caused to be delivered by the United States mail to the person to whom it was addressed: Provided, That any defendant in an indictment hereunder, relating to communica- tions originating in the United States, shall, upon motion duly made, be entitled as a matter of right to be tried in the district court of the United States in which the matter mailed or otherwise transmitted was set first in motion; that is, in the mails or in commerce between the States." SEC. 2. That the Act of May 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 781; U. S . C., title 18, sec. 408d), be, and the same is hereby, amended to read as follows: "(a) Whoever shall transmit in interstate commerce, by any means whatsoever, any communication containing any demand or request for a ransom or reward for the release of any kidnaped person; or who- ever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or cor- poration, any money or other thing of value, shall transmit, as afore- said, any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both. "(b) Whoever shall transmit in interstate commerce by any means whatsoever any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. "(c) Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, associ- ation, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, shall trans- mit in interstate commerce by any means whatsoever any communi- cation containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime shall be fined not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both. "(d) Any person violating the provisions of this section may be prosecuted in the judicial district from or into which such threat is transmitted, as aforesaid: Provided, That any defendant in an indictment hereunder, relating to communications originating in the United States, shall, upon motion duly made, be entitled as a matter of right to be tried in the district court of the United States in which the matter mailed or otherwise transmitted was set first in motion; that is, in the mails or in commerce between the States. The term 'interstate commerce,' as used in this section, shall include commu- nication from one State, Territory, or the District of Columbia, to another State, Territory, or the District of Columbia." Approved, May 15, 1939. [CHAPTER 134] May 15, 1939 [H. R . 3231] [Public, No. 77] Firearms. Conveyance in the mails to Coast Guard oflicers, authorized. AN ACT To authorize the mailing of pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on the person, to officers of the Coast Guard. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 1 of the Act entitled "An Act declaring pistols, revolvers, and other fire- arms capable of being concealed on the person nonmailable and 744 [53 STAT.

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