Divulging an eavesdropping warrant · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 250.20 Divulging an eavesdropping warrant.
A person is guilty of divulging an eavesdropping warrant when, possessing information concerning the existence or content of an eavesdropping warrant issued pursuant to article seven hundred of the criminal procedure law, or concerning any circumstances attending an application for such a warrant, he discloses such information to another person; except that such disclosure is not criminal or unlawful when permitted by section 700.65 of the criminal procedure law or when made to a state or federal agency specifically authorized by law to receive reports concerning eavesdropping warrants, or when made in a legal proceeding, or to a law enforcement officer or agency connected with the application for such warrant, or to a legislative committee or temporary state commission, or to the telephone or telegraph corporation whose facilities are involved, or to any entity operating an electronic communications service whose facilities are involved.
Divulging an eavesdropping warrant is a class A misdemeanor.
Disclosing information about the existence or contents of an article 700 eavesdropping warrant, or circumstances of its application, is a class A misdemeanor, unless the disclosure is permitted by CPL § 700.65 or made to one of the listed authorized agencies, proceedings, officers, legislative bodies, communications companies, or service providers. ★
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.