# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 2/9th Congress/1st Session/Chapter 49

Chap. XLIX.—An Act for the punishment of counterfeiting the current coin of the United States; and for other purposes.
Penalties for falsely making and uttering coins of the U. States, or of foreign countries made current here.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That if any person shall falsely make, forge or counterfeit, or cause or procure to be falsely made, forged, or counterfeited, or willingly aid or assist, in falsely making, forging or counterfeiting, any gold or silver coins, which have been or which hereafter shall be coined at the mint of the United States, or who shall falsely make, forge, or counterfeit, or cause, or procure to be falsely made, forged, or counterfeited, or willingly aid or assist in falsely making, forging, or counterfeiting any foreign gold or silver coins, which, by law now are or hereafter shall be made current, or be in actual use and circulation as money within the United States; or who shall utter, as true, any false, forged, or counterfeited coins of gold or silver, as aforesaid, for the payment of money, with intention to defraud any person or persons, knowing the same to be falsely made, forged or ​counterfeited; any such person, so offending, shall be deemed and adjudged guilty of felony, and being thereof convicted according to the due course of law, shall be sentenced to imprisonment, and kept at hard labour for a period not less than three years, nor more than ten years; or shall be imprisoned not exceeding five years, and fined not exceeding five thousand dollars.
Penalties upon those who shall import to the United States any false or counterfeit coins to be circulated in this country. Act of March 3, 1825, ch. 65, sec. 20.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall import or bring from any foreign place into the United States, any false, forged, or counterfeit gold or silver coins, which are by law made current, or are in actual use and circulation, as money within the United States, with the intent to utter, or make payment with the same, knowing the same to be falsely made, forged, or counterfeited; or who shall utter, as true, any such false, forged, or counterfeited coins of gold or silver, as aforesaid, for the payment of money, with intention to defraud any person or persons, knowing the same to be falsely made, forged, or counterfeited, the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of felony, and being thereof convicted according to the due course of law, shall be sentenced to imprisonment and kept at hard labour for a period not less than two years, nor more than eight years; or shall be imprisoned not exceeding two years, and fined not exceeding four thousand dollars.
Penalties for impairing, falsifying, &c. &c. the coins of the United States, or those of foreign countries in circulation here.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall fraudulently and for gain’s sake, by any art, way, or means whatsoever, impair, diminish, falsify, scale, or lighten the gold or silver coins, which have been, or which shall hereafter be coined at the mint of the United States; or any foreign gold or silver coins, which are by law made current, or are in actual use and circulation as money within the United States, every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor, and shall be imprisoned not exceeding two years, and fined not exceeding two thousand dollars.
Jurisdiction of the individual states not to be affected by this act.Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That nothing in this act contained, shall be construed to deprive the courts of the individual states of jurisdiction, under the laws of the several states, over offences made punishable by this act.
Approved, April 21, 1806.