2K
How many federal crimes are on the books? The Department of Justice tried to count the total number back in 1982 but gave up.
Since July 2014, I’ve shared almost 2,000 entries from the U.S. Code and C.F.R. on the Twitter account @CrimeADay – some of which are downright bizarre. Imagine getting arrested for selling spaghetti bigger than .11 inches in diameter. You can. Or how about dressing up like a mailman? That’s a federal crime, too.
Of course, some criminal laws are no doubt necessary, but we should exercise a bit more care in making them.
See today’s “crime” here.
– Mike Chase, criminal defense lawyer, author of the upcoming book “How to Become a Federal Criminal” and creator of @CrimeADay.