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U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 491. Tokens or paper used as money
(a) Whoever, being 18 years of age or over, not lawfully
authorized, makes, issues, or passes any coin, card, token, or
device in metal, or its compounds, intended to be used as money, or
whoever, being 18 years of age or over, with intent to defraud,
makes, utters, inserts, or uses any card, token, slug, disk,
device, paper, or other thing similar in size and shape to any of
the lawful coins or other currency of the United States or any coin
or other currency not legal tender in the United States, to procure
anything of value, or the use or enjoyment of any property or
service from any automatic merchandise vending machine,
postage-stamp machine, turnstile, fare box, coinbox telephone,
parking meter or other lawful receptacle, depository, or
contrivance designed to receive or to be operated by lawful coins
or other currency of the United States, shall be fined under this
title, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
(b) Whoever manufactures, sells, offers, or advertises for sale,
or exposes or keeps with intent to furnish or sell any token, slug,
disk, device, paper, or other thing similar in size and shape to
any of the lawful coins or other currency of the United States, or
any token, disk, paper, or other device issued or authorized in
connection with rationing or food and fiber distribution by any
agency of the United States, with knowledge or reason to believe
that such tokens, slugs, disks, devices, papers, or other things
are intended to be used unlawfully or fraudulently to procure
anything of value, or the use or enjoyment of any property or
service from any automatic merchandise vending machine,
postage-stamp machine, turnstile, fare box, coinbox telephone,
parking meter, or other lawful receptacle, depository, or
contrivance designed to receive or to be operated by lawful coins
or other currency of the United States shall be fined under this
title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
Nothing contained in this section shall create immunity from
criminal prosecution under the laws of any State, Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia.
(c) "Knowledge or reason to believe", within the meaning of
paragraph (b) of this section, may be shown by proof that any
law-enforcement officer has, prior to the commission of the offense
with which the defendant is charged, informed the defendant that
tokens, slugs, disks, or other devices of the kind manufactured,
sold, offered, or advertised for sale by him or exposed or kept
with intent to furnish or sell, are being used unlawfully or
fraudulently to operate certain specified automatic merchandise
vending machines, postage-stamp machines, turnstiles, fare boxes,
coin-box telephones, parking meters, or other receptacles,
depositories, or contrivances, designed to receive or to be
operated by lawful coins of the United States.
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