Wire Fraud
A US federal crime involving any scheme to defraud using electronic communications — including email, phone, and internet — with a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.
Also known as: federal wire fraud, 18 USC 1343
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343 is one of the most widely prosecuted federal financial crimes in the US. It requires proof of a scheme to defraud, the use of wire communications (telephone, email, text, internet), and that a wire communication crossed state or national lines. Almost all modern fraud involving electronic communication can qualify as wire fraud, making it a powerful prosecutorial tool.
Because of its breadth, wire fraud is routinely charged alongside more specific offences such as securities fraud, bank fraud, and mail fraud. The statute carries a maximum 20-year sentence per count (30 years if it affects a financial institution or relates to a federal disaster). Conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries the same maximum penalty.
For victims, wire fraud is the federal hook that allows the FBI and DOJ to investigate schemes that cross state lines, involve foreign nationals, or operate at scale. Filing a complaint with IC3 is the primary consumer reporting step; referrals to US Attorneys' offices are made by the FBI. Asset forfeiture provisions allow prosecutors to seek disgorgement of criminal proceeds.
Examples
- A fraudster uses email to pitch a fake business investment opportunity to victims in multiple states; each email and each wire transfer constitutes a separate wire fraud count.
- An operator of a crypto pump-and-dump scheme is indicted on 15 counts of wire fraud, one per investor communication.