Editing Mail and wire fraud (section)

==Wire fraud==
{{expand section|date=April 2019}}
{{Not to be confused with|Wire transfer fraud}}Wire fraud was first defined in the United States in 1952.

{{usc|18|1343}} provides:

<blockquote>Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication in interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If the violation occurs in relation to, or involving any benefit authorized, transported, transmitted, transferred, disbursed, or paid in connection with, a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency (as those terms are defined in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5122 )), or affects a financial institution, such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.<ref name="{{usc|18|1343}}.">{{usc|18|1343}}.</ref></blockquote>

Briefly, anyone trying to defraud other people or groups through any form of telecommunication, or through writing, signs, pictures or sounds can be punished with a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. If the fraud involves a financial institution, the maximum fine is raised to 1 million US dollars and prison sentence not more than 30 years, or both.{{cn|date=September 2024}}