What do Freedom of Information Act requests, lawsuits, Congressional inquiries and Federal judicial opinions have in common?
Can Records Be Removed from the Agency? Federal law (44 U.S.C. § 3105) requires agencies to establish safeguards against the removal or loss of Federal records. These safeguards include notifying agency officials that: • Criminal penalties are provided for the willful and unlawful destruction, removal, or private use of Federal records. Concealment, Removal, or Mutilation of Records (18 U.S.C. § 2071) • Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both. • Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully an
