2018 US Code
Title 20 - Education
Chapter 28 - Higher Education Resources and Student Assistance
Subchapter IV - Student Assistance
Part G - General Provisions Relating to Student Assistance Programs
Sec. 1097 - Criminal penalties

Any person who knowingly and willfully embezzles, misapplies, steals, obtains by fraud, false statement, or forgery, or fails to refund any funds, assets, or property provided or insured under this subchapter or attempts to so embezzle, misapply, steal, obtain by fraud, false statement or forgery, or fail to refund any funds, assets, or property, shall be fined not more than $20,000 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both, except if the amount so embezzled, misapplied, stolen, obtained by fraud, false statement, or forgery, or failed to be refunded does not exceed $200, then the fine shall not be more than $5,000 and imprisonment shall not exceed one year, or both.

Any person who knowingly and willfully makes any false statement, furnishes any false information, or conceals any material information in connection with the assignment of a loan which is made or insured under this subchapter or attempts to so make any false statement, furnish any false information, or conceal any material information in connection with such assignment shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

Any person who knowingly and willfully makes an unlawful payment to an eligible lender under part B or attempts to make such unlawful payment as an inducement to make, or to acquire by assignment, a loan insured under such part shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

Any person who knowingly and willfully destroys or conceals any record relating to the provision of assistance under this subchapter or attempts to so destroy or conceal with intent to defraud the United States or to prevent the United States from enforcing any right obtained by subrogation under this part, shall upon conviction thereof, be fined not more than $20,000 or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

(Pub. L. 89–329, title IV, §490, as added Pub. L. 99–498, title IV, §407(a), Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1491; amended Pub. L. 102–325, title IV, §495, July 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 631.)

A prior section 1097, Pub. L. 89–329, title IV, §490, as added Pub. L. 96–374, title IV, §451(a), Oct. 3, 1980, 94 Stat. 1453, related to criminal penalties, prior to the general revision of this part by Pub. L. 99–498.

1992—Pub. L. 102–325 amended section generally, inserting provisions relating to attempted offenses, wherever appearing, and in subsec. (a) inserting provisions relating to failure to refund and substituting provisions relating to $20,000 and $5,000 fines for provisions relating to $10,000 and $1,000 fines, respectively, in subsec. (b) substituting provisions relating to $10,000 fines for provisions relating to $1,000 fines, in subsec. (c) substituting provisions relating to $10,000 fines for provisions relating $1,000 fines, and in subsec. (d) substituting provisions relating to $20,000 fines for provisions relating to $10,000 fines.