Section 553 - Importation or exportation of stolen motor vehicles, off-highway mobile equipment, vessels, or aircraft(a) Whoever knowingly imports, exports, or attempts to import or export-(1) any motor vehicle, off-highway mobile equipment, vessel, aircraft, or part of any motor vehicle, off-highway mobile equipment, vessel, or aircraft, knowing the same to have been stolen; or(2) any motor vehicle or off-highway mobile equipment or part of any motor vehicle or off-highway mobile equipment, knowing that the identification number of such motor vehicle, equipment, or part has been removed, obliterated, tampered with, or altered;shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.
(b) Subsection (a)(2) shall not apply if the removal, obliteration, tampering, or alteration-(1) is caused by collision or fire; or(2)(A) in the case of a motor vehicle, is not a violation of section 511 of this title (relating to altering or removing motor vehicle identification numbers); or(B) in the case of off-highway mobile equipment, would not be a violation of section 511 of this title if such equipment were a motor vehicle.(c) As used in this section, the term-(1) "motor vehicle" has the meaning given that term in section 32101 of title 49;(2) "off-highway mobile equipment" means any self-propelled agricultural equipment, self-propelled construction equipment, and self-propelled special use equipment, used or designed for running on land but not on rail or highway;(3) "vessel" has the meaning given that term in section 401 of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1401 );(4) "aircraft" has the meaning given that term in section 40102(a) of title 49; and(5) "identification number"-(A) in the case of a motor vehicle, has the meaning given that term in section 511 of this title; and(B) in the case of any other vehicle or equipment covered by this section, means a number or symbol assigned to the vehicle or equipment, or part thereof, by the manufacturer primarily for the purpose of identifying such vehicle, equipment, or part.Added Pub. L. 98-547, title III, §301(a), Oct. 25, 1984, 98 Stat. 2771; amended Pub. L. 100-690, title VII, §7021, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4396; Pub. L. 102-519, title I, §102, Oct. 25, 1992, 106 Stat. 3385; Pub. L. 103-272, §5(e)(5), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1374.EDITORIAL NOTES
AMENDMENTS1994-Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 103-272, §5(e)(5)(A), substituted "section 32101 of title 49" for "section 2 of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act".Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 103-272, §5(e)(5)(B), substituted "section 40102(a) of title 49" for "section 101 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. App. 1301)". 1992-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102-519 substituted "fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years" for "fined not more than $15,000 or imprisoned not more than five years" in concluding provisions.1988-Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 100-690 amended par. (2) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (2) read as follows: "is not a violation of section 511 of this title."