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18 U.S.C. § 3505 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 18. Crimes and Criminal Procedure § 3505. Foreign records of regularly conducted activity

Current as of January 01, 2024 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a)(1) In a criminal proceeding in a court of the United States, a foreign record of regularly conducted activity, or a copy of such record, shall not be excluded as evidence by the hearsay rule if a foreign certification attests that--

(A) such record was made, at or near the time of the occurrence of the matters set forth, by (or from information transmitted by) a person with knowledge of those matters;

(B) such record was kept in the course of a regularly conducted business activity;

(C) the business activity made such a record as a regular practice; and

(D) if such record is not the original, such record is a duplicate of the original;

unless the source of information or the method or circumstances of preparation indicate lack of trustworthiness.

(2) A foreign certification under this section shall authenticate such record or duplicate.

(b) At the arraignment or as soon after the arraignment as practicable, a party intending to offer in evidence under this section a foreign record of regularly conducted activity shall provide written notice of that intention to each other party. A motion opposing admission in evidence of such record shall be made by the opposing party and determined by the court before trial. Failure by a party to file such motion before trial shall constitute a waiver of objection to such record or duplicate, but the court for cause shown may grant relief from the waiver.

(c) As used in this section, the term--

(1) “foreign record of regularly conducted activity” means a memorandum, report, record, or data compilation, in any form, of acts, events, conditions, opinions, or diagnoses, maintained in a foreign country;

(2) “foreign certification” means a written declaration made and signed in a foreign country by the custodian of a foreign record of regularly conducted activity or another qualified person that, if falsely made, would subject the maker to criminal penalty under the laws of that country; and

(3) “business” includes business, institution, association, profession, occupation, and calling of every kind, whether or not conducted for profit.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - 18 U.S.C. § 3505 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 18. Crimes and Criminal Procedure § 3505. Foreign records of regularly conducted activity - last updated January 01, 2024 | https://codes.findlaw.com/us/title-18-crimes-and-criminal-procedure/18-usc-sect-3505/

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