Re: Opening someone elses mail

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On 07/20/10, -- wrote:
>My ex-wife opened my mail it had a cashier check for more than $500.00
in it. I filed a police report and waiting on contact from the DAs'
office what kind of charge could this be?
> On 11/16/08, amanda wrote:
>> Did anyone ever have an answer to this? I'm in a similar situation.
>
>>> Is it a Federal Crime to open mail not addressed to you but
>>> delivered to your address?
>
> The individual facts of the case are important. If it was a mistake
> you may be OK. If you knew that the mail was not addressed to you
> [not directed to you] but opened it anyway you might be charged.
> Even if the mail was delivered to your address, you do not have the
> right [authority] to destroy or open it if you know it is
> not "directed to" you. A proper course of action might be to mark
> mail not adressed to you personally "Not at this address" and leave
> it in the mail box. Here is the relevant part of the law that
> probably applies to you:
> *************************
> *************************
> 18 U.S.C.A. § 1703
> . . . .
> "Whoever, without authority, opens, or destroys any mail or package
> of newspapers not directed to him, shall be fined under this title or
> imprisoned not more than one year, or both."