46 U.S.C. § 12507
Penalties
(a)
A person shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both, if the person with the intent to defraud—
(1)
provides false information to the Secretary of Transportation or a State issuing authority regarding the identification of a vessel under this chapter; or
(2)
tampers with, removes, or falsifies the unique vessel identification number assigned to a vessel under section 12502 of this title .
(b)
A person is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 if the person—
(1)
provides false information to the Secretary or a State issuing authority regarding the identification of a vessel under this chapter;
(2)
violates section 12502 of this title ; or
(3)
fails to comply with requirements prescribed by the Secretary under section 12505 of this title .
(c)
A vessel involved in a violation of this chapter, or regulation under this chapter, and its equipment, may be seized by, and forfeited to, the Government.
(d)
If a person, not an individual, is involved in a violation of this chapter, the president or chief executive of the person also is subject to any penalty provided under this section.
(Added Pub. L. 100–710, title I, § 101(a) , Nov. 23, 1988 , 102 Stat. 4737 .)