Any person who shall wrongfully deface, injure, or mutilate, tear, or destroy any book, pamphlet, or manuscript, or any portion thereof belonging to the Library of Congress, or to any public library in the District of Columbia, whether the property of the United States or of the District of Columbia or of any individual or corporation in said District, or who shall wrongfully deface, injure, mutilate, tear, or destroy any book, pamphlet, document, manuscript, public record, print, engraving, medal, newspaper, or work of art, the property of the United States or of the District of Columbia, shall be held guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall, when the offense is not otherwise punishable by some statute of the United States, be punished by a fine of not less than $10 and not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01, and by imprisonment for not less than 1 month nor more than 180 days, or both, for every such offense.
(Mar. 3, 1901, 31 Stat. 1327, ch. 854, § 849; June 30, 1902, 32 Stat. 535, ch. 1329; Dec. 1, 1982, D.C. Law 4-164, § 601(d), 29 DCR 3976; Sept. 5, 1985, D.C. Law 6-19, § 14(b), 32 DCR 3590; Aug. 20, 1994, D.C. Law 10-151,§ 105(n), 41 DCR 2608; June 11, 2013, D.C. Law 19-317, § 201(l), 60 DCR 2064.)
1981 Ed., § 22-3106.
1973 Ed., § 22-3106.
The 2013 amendment by D.C. Law 19-317 substituted “and not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01” for “nor more than $1,000”.
For temporary amendment of section, see § 105(n) of the Omnibus Criminal Justice Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 1994 (D.C. Act 10-255, June 22, 1994, 41 DCR 4286).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 201(l) of the Criminal Fine Proportionality Emergency Act of 2013 (D.C. Act 20-45, April 1, 2013, 60 DCR 5400, 20 DCSTAT 1300).
Applicability of D.C. Law 19-317: Section 401 of D.C. Law 19-317 provided that the act shall apply only to offenses committed on or after June 11, 2013.
Structure District of Columbia Code
Title 22 - Criminal Offenses and Penalties
Chapter 33 - Trespass; Injuries to Property
§ 22–3301. Forcible entry and detainer
§ 22–3302. Unlawful entry on property
§ 22–3303. Grave robbery; buying or selling dead bodies
§ 22–3304. Depredation of fixtures in houses. [Repealed]
§ 22–3305. Placing explosives with intent to destroy or injure property
§ 22–3306. Defacing books, manuscripts, publications, or works of art
§ 22–3307. Destroying or defacing public records
§ 22–3309. Destroying boundary markers
§ 22–3310. Destroying vines, bushes, shrubs, trees or protections thereof; penalty
§ 22–3312. Destroying or defacing buildings, statues, or monuments. [Repealed]
§ 22–3312.01. Defacing public or private property
§ 22–3312.02. Defacement of certain symbols; display of certain emblems
§ 22–3312.03. Wearing hoods or masks. [Repealed]
§ 22–3312.03a. Abatement of graffiti. [Repealed]
§ 22–3312.03b. Collection against owner. [Repealed]
§ 22–3313. Destroying or defacing building material for streets
§ 22–3314. Destroying cemetery railing or tomb
§ 22–3315. Offenses against property of electric lighting, heating, or power companies [Repealed]
§ 22–3316. Tapping gas pipes [Repealed]
§ 22–3317. Tapping or injuring water pipes; tampering with water meters [Repealed]
§ 22–3318. Malicious pollution of water
§ 22–3319. Placing obstructions on or displacement of railway tracks
§ 22–3320. Obstructing public road; removing milestones
§ 22–3321. Obstructing public highway
§ 22–3322. Fines under § 22-3321 to be collected in name of United States