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[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC2322]

 
                 TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
 
                             PART I--CRIMES
 
                      CHAPTER 113--STOLEN PROPERTY
 
Sec. 2322. Chop shops

    (a) In General.--
        (1) Unlawful action.--Any person who knowingly owns, operates, 
    maintains, or controls a chop shop or conducts operations in a chop 
    shop shall be punished by a fine under this title or by imprisonment 
    for not more than 15 years, or both. If a conviction of a person 
    under this paragraph is for a violation committed after the first 
    conviction of such person under this paragraph, the maximum 
    punishment shall be doubled with respect to any fine and 
    imprisonment.
        (2) Injunctions.--The Attorney General shall, as appropriate, in 
    the case of any person who violates paragraph (1), commence a civil 
    action for permanent or temporary injunction to restrain such 
    violation.

    (b) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term ``chop 
shop'' means any building, lot, facility, or other structure or premise 
where one or more persons engage in receiving, concealing, destroying, 
disassembling, dismantling, reassembling, or storing any passenger motor 
vehicle or passenger motor vehicle part which has been unlawfully 
obtained in order to alter, counterfeit, deface, destroy, disguise, 
falsify, forge, obliterate, or remove the identity, including the 
vehicle identification number or derivative thereof, of such vehicle or 
vehicle part and to distribute, sell, or dispose of such vehicle or 
vehicle part in interstate or foreign commerce.

(Added Pub. L. 102-519, title I, Sec. 105(a), Oct. 25, 1992, 106 Stat. 
3385.)

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in title 49 section 33103.