by 
The Curious Bag
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Stealing government property is never a good idea, but that is exactly what you are doing when you steal an income tax check. Although the money belongs to an individual taxpayer, the check itself is government property and stealing it is a federal crime.
18 U.S.C. 641
Federal law, specifically 18 U.S.C. 614, prohibits stealing anything of value that belongs to the U.S. government. Income tax checks belong to the Department of Treasury and their value is obvious.
IRS Criminal Investigation Division
The IRS Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is notified whenever a taxpayer reports an income tax check stolen and will investigate the crime to identify the perpetrator.
U.S. Attorney's Office
Once the perpetrator is identified, the CID turns the information over to the local U.S. Attorney's office for prosecution.
Federal Sentencing Guidelines
Upon conviction under 18 U.S.C. 641, the federal judge will make a sentence according to federal sentencing guidelines. The minimum sentence will depend on a variety of factors, but a single count of stealing an income tax check for less than $5,000 can result in a fine between $500 and $5,000 and six months in federal prison.
Federal Prison
If the defendant is sentenced to prison, the defendant will have to surrender to federal marshals to serve his time, which can be in any federal prison in the United States.
Source:
18 U.S.C. 641: Theft of Government Property
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