U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Special Report

 

Clo

JUNE 2018 NCJ 251390 

Federal Prosecution of 

Human-Trafcking Cases, 2015 

Mark Motivans, BJS Statistician 

Howard N. Snyder, former BJS Statistician 

Atotal of 1,923 criminal suspects were referred 

to U.S. attorneys for human-trafcking ofenses 

in fscal year 2015 (fgure 1).

1 Tis was a 

41% increase from a total of 1,360 suspects referred in 

2011. Te number of suspects prosecuted for human 

trafcking increased from 729 in 2011 to 1,049 in 2015, 

a 44% increase. 

Tis report uses data from three federal justice agencies: 

 the Executive Ofce for U.S. Attorneys’ (EOUSA) 

National LIONS (Legal Information Ofce Network 

System) database, which details the investigation 

and prosecution of suspects 

 the Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts’ Probation 

and Pretrial Services Automated Case Tracking 

System (PACTS) database, which describes defendants 

interviewed and supervised by pretrial services 

 the Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts’ 

(AOUSC) Criminal Master File, which describes 

criminal cases fled and terminated in U.S. district 

court including data on defendants sentenced. 

1In this report, annual federal justice data were reported for the 

fscal year, October 1 to September 30. 

Figure 1 

Suspects in matters referred to and prosecuted by 

u.S. attorneys for human trafcking, 2011–2015 

Number

2,500 

2,000 Suspects referred 

1,500 

1,000 Suspects prosecuted 

500 

0 

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 

Note: See table 1 for data. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Executive 

Ofce for U.S. Attorneys, National Legal Information Ofce Network 

System database, fscal years 2011–2015. 

HIGHLIGHTS

 In fscal year 2015, 1,923 suspects were referred to  In 2015, more than 9 in 10 (93%) human-trafcking 

U.S. attorneys with human trafcking as the lead defendants were convicted. 

charge—39% for peonage, slavery, forced labor, or sex  Nearly all (99%) of the 769 convicted human-trafcking trafcking; 32% for production of child pornography; defendants in 2015 received a prison sentence. and 29% for transportation for illegal sex activity.  Human-trafcking defendants sentenced to prison  In 2015, the FBI (52%) and Immigration and increased from 132 in 2000 to 759 in 2015. 

Customs Enforcement (19%) referred the most  The median prison sentence for defendants convicted human-trafcking suspects to U.S. attorneys. of human trafcking in 2015 was 15 years.  Nearly 6 in 10 (59%) human-trafcking suspects 

referred to U.S. attorneys in 2015 were prosecuted in 

U.S. district courts. 
 

Federal human-trafcking ofenses 

Human trafcking is used to describe multiple forms of Sex trafcking is often facilitated through Internet 

exploitation. The federal response to human trafcking transactions and takes place in massage parlors, 

is rooted in the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. through escort services, or via street prostitution.3 

Constitution, which prohibits slavery and involuntary Amendments to the TVPA of 2000 increased focus 

servitude. The Trafcking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) on the transportation of minors for the purposes of of 2000 expanded the scope of human-trafcking engaging in criminal sexual activity and expanded ofenses and provided enhanced capacity for federal the defnition of human trafcking to include the prosecutors to enforce human-trafcking laws production of child pornography. The Justice for Victims (Trafcking Victims Protection Act of 2000, TVPA of of Trafcking Act of 2015 (JVTA; P.L. 114-22) modifed 2000; P.L. 106-386). The TVPA of 2000 also provided for Title 18 U.S.C. § 2423(f ) to “Clarify that producers of mandatory restitution and forfeiture at sentencing. child pornography are human trafckers.” For this Before the TVPA of 2000, involuntary servitude statutes reason, the production of child pornography was were used to prosecute human-trafcking suspects in included as a human-trafcking ofense in this report. the federal justice system (Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 1581-1588), In addition, coercion and enticement to engage in as were statutes under the Mann Act of 1910 (Title 18 prostitution (Title 18 U.S.C. § 2422), and transportation U.S.C. § 2421). of minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual 

Federal human trafcking in the U.S. criminal code activity (Title 18 U.S.C. § 2423), were also included as 

prohibits coercion of persons to perform labor, services, human-trafcking ofenses.4 This is consistent with the 

or commercial sex acts. Labor trafcking prohibits FBI’s reporting of federal arrests of human trafckers. 

recruiting, harboring, transportation, providing, or See Crime in United States, 2015, Table 3. 

obtaining a person for labor or services using force, The JVTA required that a report be submitted on fraud, or coercion. According to the FBI, labor trafcking restitution paid in connection with certain trafcking is likely to occur in low-skilled or temporary labor ofenses. Restitution information is not part of BJS’s situations, including agriculture, traveling sales crews, Federal Justice Statistics Program. The Executive Ofce and restaurants and food service.2 Sex trafcking includes for U.S. Attorneys’ Consolidated Assets Tracking System a commercial sex act induced by force, fraud, or coercion collects and reports that data. and sex acts performed by persons age 17 or younger. 3U.S. Department of Justice. (2016). Attorney General’s Annual 2U.S. Department of Justice. (2017). National Strategy to Combat Report to Congress and Assessment of U.S. Government Activities Human Trafcking, 2017. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/ to Combat Trafcking in Persons, Fiscal Year 2015. Retrieved from 

humantrafcking/page/fle/922791/download https://www.justice.gov/humantrafcking/page/fle/948601/ 

download 

4FBI Human Trafcking Arrests by FBI Field Ofce, 2015. 

Retrieved from https://ucr.fi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/ 

crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/additional-reports/federal-crime-data/ 

fedtable3-human-trafcking.xls 

Continued on next page 

FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 2 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 3 

 

Federal human-trafcking ofenses (continued) 

For this report, human-trafcking ofenses are defned 

according to the three categories of federal statutes: 

1. Peonage, slavery, forced labor, or sex trafcking 

 Peonage (18 U.S.C. § 1581): Prohibits holding 

a person in debt servitude, or peonage where 

involuntary servitude is tied to the payment 

of a debt and force, threat of force, or threat of 

legal coercion. 

 Involuntary servitude (18 U.S.C. § 1584): Makes 

it unlawful to subject a person to a condition 

of compulsory service or labor against his or 

her will. 

 Forced labor (18 U.S.C. § 1589): Makes it unlawful 

to provide or obtain the labor or services of a 

person through the use or threatened use of 

physical or legal coercion. 

 Trafcking with respect to peonage, slavery, 

involuntary servitude, or forced labor (18 U.S.C. 

§ 1590): Makes it unlawful to recruit, harbor, 

transport, or broker persons for labor or services. 

 Sex trafcking of children or by force, fraud, or 

coercion (18 U.S.C. § 1591): Includes those 

who cause persons under 18 to engage in 

a commercial sex act or use force, fraud, or 

coercion to cause a person to engage in a 

commercial sex act. 

 Unlawful conduct with respect to documents in 

furtherance of trafcking (18 U.S.C. § 1592): Makes 

it illegal to seize documents to force others 

to work. 

2. Child pornography production (Title 18 U.S.C. § 

2251): Prohibits enticement of a minor to engage 

in sexually explicit activity for the purpose of 

producing any visual depiction of such conduct; 

and Title 18 U.S.C. § 2251A: Punishes any person 

with rights of custody or control over a minor 

who transfers control of a minor with knowledge 

that the minor will be used to depict sexually 

explicit conduct. 

3. Transportation for illegal sex activity (Title 18 

U.S.C. § 2422): Prohibits enticement or coercion of a 

person to travel in interstate or foreign commerce, 

with intent that the person engage in prostitution 

or other sexual activity; and Title 18 U.S.C. § 2423: 

Punishes a person who knowingly transports an 

individual who has not attained the age of 18 with 

the intent that the minor engage in prostitution or 

other sexual activity for which any person can be 

charged with a crime. 
Peonage, slavery, forced labor, or sex trafcking to U.S. attorneys, followed by the Northern District of 

suspects made up 39% of human-trafcking referrals Texas (64) and the Western District of Missouri 

(64) (map 1). In 2015, U.S. attorneys investigated 1,923 suspects for 

human trafcking (table 1). Human-trafcking suspects MaP 1 made up 1.2% of the 157,313 suspects investigated Number of human-trafcking suspects referred to during this period (not shown). In fscal year 2015, u.S. attorneys, 2015 human-trafcking suspects were most commonly charged 

for peonage, slavery, forced labor, or sex trafcking (39%), 

followed by production of child pornography (32%) and 

transportation for illegal sex activity (29%). 

Federal human-trafcking referrals to 

u.S. attorneys increased 41% from 2011 to 2015 

Te number of suspects referred to U.S. attorneys for 

human-trafcking violations increased from 1,360 in 2011 

to 1,923 in 2015 (up 41%). Referrals for sex trafcking 

increased 82% from 2011 to 2015, while referrals for forced 

labor decreased 6% during this 5-year period. Referrals 15 or fewer 31–45 

16–30 46 or more 

430 referrals in 2011 to 621 referrals in 2015. Districts with Anti-Tra ̃cking

for production of child pornography increased 44%, from 

Coordination Team 

Note: A total of 1,923 suspects were investigated for a human-trafcking Fifteen federal judicial districts referred 36% of ofense from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2015. Excludes District 

human-trafcking suspects in 2015 of Columbia (13), Guam (2), Virgin Islands (1), and Puerto Rico (32). 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Executive 

Ofce for U.S. Attorneys, National Legal Information Network database, Among the 94 federal districts in 2015, the Middle District fscal year 2015. of Florida (72) referred the most human-trafcking suspects 

Table 1 

Suspects referred to and prosecuted by u.S. attorneys for human-trafcking ofenses, 2011–2015 

Percent Total 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 change 

Suspects/ofensesb Number Percent Number Percent NumberPercent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 2011–2015a 

Total referred 8,314 100% 1,360 100% 1,519 100% 1,893 100% 1,619 100% 1,923 100% 41.4% 

Peonage, slavery, forced 

labor and sex trafcking 3,029 36.4% 464 34.1% 544 35.8% 715 37.8% 564 34.8% 742 38.6% 59.9% 

Peonage 26 0.3 3 0.2 3 0.2 6 0.3 7 0.4 7 0.4 : 

Involuntary servitude 18 0.2 8 0.6 8 0.5 2 0.1 0 0.0 0 0.0 : 

Enticement for slaveryc 16 0.2 11 0.8 2 0.1 0 0.0 2 0.1 1 0.1 : 

Forced labord 331 4.0 68 5.0 63 4.1 67 3.5 69 4.3 64 3.3 -5.9 

Trafcking slavesd 105 1.3 28 2.1 13 0.9 21 1.1 12 0.7 31 1.6 10.7 

Sex trafckingd 2,245 27.0 306 22.5 402 26.5 557 29.4 423 26.1 557 29.0 82.0 

Otherd,e 288 3.5 40 2.9 53 3.5 62 3.3 51 3.2 82 4.3 105.0 

Production of child 

pornography 2,694 32.4% 430 31.6% 471 31.0% 631 33.3% 541 33.4% 621 32.3% 44.4% 

Transportation for illegal 

sex activity 2,591 31.2% 466 34.3% 504 33.2% 547 28.9% 514 31.8% 560 29.1% 20.2% 

Total prosecuted 4,664 729 805 1,030 1,051 1,049 43.9% 

:Percentage change not calculated due to fewer than 10 cases. 

aFor each item, percentage change is computed as the diference between the number in 2011 and 2015, divided by the number in 2011, and multiplied by 100. 

bReferral ofense is the substantive ofense that is the primary basis of referral to U.S. attorneys. 

cIncludes enticement into slavery, vessels for slave trade, and transport of slaves. 

dOfenses added by the Trafcking Victims Protection Act of 2000. 

eIncludes unlawful conduct with respect to documents and general provisions (see Federal human-trafcking ofenses text box). Includes 116 matters 

with a program category of 05E (human trafcking). See Methodology. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Executive Ofce for U.S. Attorneys, National Legal Information Ofce Network System 

database, fscal years 2011–2015. 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 5 

 

Fifeen districts (16% of the total) accounted for more than 

a third (36%) of all human-trafcking referrals to federal 

prosecutors. When grouped by state, the most referrals 

of human-trafcking suspects to federal prosecutors in 

2015 were in Texas (171), followed by Florida (141) and 

California (123). 

21% of federal human-trafcking suspects were 

referred from the 12 districts with aCTeam task force 

U.S. attorneys are authorized to request the appropriate 

federal agency to investigate alleged or suspected violations 

of federal law. Te Anti-Trafcking Coordination Team 

(ACTeam) Initiative brings U.S. attorneys together with 

law enforcement from the Department of Justice (DOJ), 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of 

Labor (DOL), and state and local agencies. Te 12 federal 

districts with designated ACTeams accounted for 1 in 5 

human-trafcking referrals to U.S. attorneys.5 

5Established or enhanced dedicated anti-trafcking law enforcement 

units investigate human-trafcking crimes and rescue victims. Since 

fscal year 2015, the Bureau of Justice Assistance and Ofce for 

Victims of Crime have funded 29 Enhanced Collaborative Model 

Human Trafcking Task Forces to combat human trafcking in 

communities across the United States (see https://www.bja.gov/ 

ProgramDetails.aspx?Program_ID=51). Te following 12 districts 

had an ACTeam task force on December 31, 2015: Maine, Northern 

Ohio, New Jersey, Northern Georgia, Western Tennessee, Southern 

Florida, Western Texas, Western Missouri, Minnesota, Central 

California, Eastern California, and Oregon. 

Te FBI was the most common referring agency for 

each of the three types of human-trafcking ofenses 

in 2015, referring more than half (52%) of federal 

human-trafcking matters to U.S. attorneys in that 

year (table 2). 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was the 

next most common source of referral (19%), followed 

by federal and state task forces (8%) and state, county, 

and municipal authorities (6%). In 2015, DOJ agencies 

referred 54% of human-trafcking suspects, compared 

to 84% in 2000. 

In 2015, DHS agencies accounted for 30% of 

human-trafcking referrals. Tat was up from 20% of 

referrals in 2005. DHS referral counts were reported in 

the U.S. attorney’s National Legal Information Ofce 

Network System database following the enactment of 

the Homeland Security Act of 2002.6 Suspects referred 

to U.S. attorneys by other agencies, such as federal and 

state task forces, state and local law enforcement and 

other federal agencies (such as Department of State 

and DOL), increased from 85 in 2000 to 316 in 2015. 

6As of November 25, 2002, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

transferred the U.S. Customs Service and the Secret Service from 

the U.S. Department of Treasury (DOT) to DHS. Responsibility for 

the Immigration and Naturalization Service was transferred from 

the DOJ to DHS, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, 

and Explosives transferred from DOT to DOJ. 

Table 2 

Suspects referred to u.S. attorneys for a human-trafcking ofense, by agency of referral, 2015 

Peonage, slavery, 

forced labor, and Production of child Transportation for 

Total sex trafcking pornography illegal sex activity 

Agency of referral Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

All agencies 1,923 100% 742 100% 621 100% 560 100% 

Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS) 579 30.1% 201 27.1% 210 33.8% 168 30.0% 

Citizen and Immigration Services 23 1.2 4 0.5 7 1.1 12 2.1 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement 360 18.7 117 15.8 140 22.5 103 18.4 

U.S. Secret Service 16 0.8 3 0.4 8 1.3 5 0.9 

Ofce of Inspector General 15 0.8 11 1.5 1 0.2 3 0.5 

Other DHS 165 8.6 66 8.9 54 8.7 45 8.0 

Department of Justice (DOJ) 1,028 53.5% 421 56.7% 316 50.9% 291 52.0% 

Federal Bureau of Investigation 995 51.7 402 54.2 313 50.4 280 50.0 

Other DOJ 33 1.7 19 2.6 3 0.5 11 2.0 

Federal and state task forces 153 8.0% 75 10.1% 34 5.5% 44 7.9% 

State, county, and municipal 

authorities 107 5.6% 25 3.4% 46 7.4% 36 6.4% 

Other agencies* 56 2.9% 20 2.7% 15 2.4% 21 3.8% 

*Includes referrals from the Department of State, Department of Labor, U.S. Postal Service, branches of the military, and other agencies. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics based on data from the Executive Ofce for U.S. Attorneys, National Legal Information Ofce Network database, 

fscal year 2015. 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 6 

in 2015, u.S. attorneys prosecuted 59% of 

suspects investigated for human trafcking 

In 2015, U.S. attorneys concluded matters involving 

1,771 suspects investigated for human trafcking, 

which means the federal prosecutor decided to 

prosecute and fle a case in U.S. district court, 

declined the matter, or disposed the matter by 

U.S. magistrate (table 3).

7 U.S. attorneys prosecuted 

59% of these human-trafcking matters in U.S. district 

court, 6% were disposed and prosecuted by 

U.S. magistrates, and 35% were declined for further 

prosecution. Suspects investigated for forced labor 

matters (85%) were more likely to be declined for 

prosecution than suspects in matters involving sex 

trafcking (45%) and matters involving the production 

of child pornography (22%). 

7In this section, “matters concluded” refect the prosecutor’s 

decision to (1) prosecute the matter as a case in U.S. district court, 

(2) refer the matter for disposal in U.S. magistrate court, or (3) 

decline the matter, resulting in no further action in U.S. district or 

U.S. magistrate court. 

The median processing time for human-trafcking 

matters concluded by u.S. attorneys was 105 days 

Te time taken by federal prosecutors to conclude a 

human-trafcking matter varied by the fnal decision 

made. Human-trafcking matters concluded by 

U.S. attorneys took a median of 105 days to reach 

a decision in 2015. When the decision was to 

prosecute, the median time to decision was 34 days. In 

comparison, the median time was 180 days when the 

decision was to dispose a matter by U.S. magistrate and 

412 days when the decision was to decline prosecution. 

Table 3 

Suspects in human-trafcking matters concluded, by disposition of the matter, 2015 

Referred to 

All humantrafcking suspects 

Prosecuted in 

U.S. district court U.S. magistrate and prosecuted Declined 

Lead charge Number Percent Total Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

Total 1,771 100% 100% 1,049 59.2% 101 5.7% 621 35.1% 

Peonage, slavery, forced labor and 

sex trafcking 722 40.8% 100% 339 47.0% 28 3.9% 355 49.2% 

Peonage 9 0.5 100% 5 : 0 0.0 4 : 

Involuntary servitude 4 0.2 100% 0 0.0 0 0.0 4 : 

Enticement for slaverya 1 0.1 100% 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 : 

Forced laborb 66 3.7 100% 10 15.2 0 0.0 56 84.9 

Trafcking slavesb 46 2.6 100% 16 34.8 2 4.4 28 60.9 

Sex trafckingb 489 27.6 100% 250 51.1 21 4.3 218 44.6 

Otherb,c 107 6.0 100% 58 54.2 5 4.7 44 41.1 

Production of child pornography 583 32.9% 100% 416 71.4% 37 6.4% 130 22.3% 

Transportation for illegal sex activity 466 26.3% 100% 294 63.1% 36 7.7% 136 29.2% 

Prosecutor decision case processing 

time (median)d 105 days 34 days 180 days 412 days 

Note: The unit of count was suspects in matters concluded. Suspects investigated in more than one matter were counted separately. The primary 

charge was the substantive statute (lead charge) that was the primary basis for referral. The lead charge was most often the charge with the greatest 

potential sentence, but not always. 

:Percentage not calculated due to fewer than 10 cases. 

aIncludes enticement into slavery, vessels for slave trade, and transport of slaves. 

bOfenses added to the human-trafcking statute (Chapter 77) by the Trafcking Victims Protection Act of 2000. 

cIncludes unlawful conduct with respect to documents and general provisions. Includes 56 matters with a program category of 05E (human 

trafcking). See Methodology. dProsecutor case processing time refects the time from receipt of a matter by a prosecutor to the prosecutor’s decision (whether it is to prosecute a case 

in U.S. district court, refer for disposal in U.S. magistrate court, or decline the matter, resulting in no further action in U.S. district of U.S. magistrate court). 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Executive Ofce for U.S. Attorneys, National Legal Information Ofce Network database, 

fscal year 2015. 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 7 

 

 

insufcient evidence was the most common 

reason human-trafcking matters were declined 

Of the 621 suspects in human-trafcking matters that 

U.S. attorneys declined to prosecute in 2015, 58% were 

declined due to insufcient evidence—the most 

common reason for declining to prosecute across all 

three categories of human-trafcking cases (table 4). Te 

second-most common reason for declining to prosecute 

human-trafcking cases in 2015 was that the matter was 

subject to the authority of another jurisdiction (18%). 

Tis included referrals to state, local, military, juvenile, 

or tribal courts. Te remaining 24% of matters were 

declined for reasons such as prioritization of federal 

resources (8%), alternative to federal prosecution 

utilized (7%), and opened in error (4%). 

Most human-trafcking defendants charged in 2015 

were white, and most were under 35 years of age 

Eighty-eight percent of defendants charged for a humantrafcking ofense were male (table 5). Eighteen percent 

of defendants charged in 2015 were age 24 or younger, 

compared to 37% who were 25-34. Most human-trafcking 

defendants charged in U.S. district court in 2015 were 

white (57%), followed by black (24%) and Hispanic 

defendants (17%). Seventy-seven percent of defendants 

charged with production of child pornography and 65% 

of defendants charged with transportation for illegal sex 

activity were white. Black defendants made up 60% of 

defendants charged with peonage, slavery, forced labor, 

or sex trafcking, and Hispanic defendants made up 

22% of transportation for illegal sex activity defendants. 

More than half (57%) of human-trafcking defendants 

had a high school education or less at the time of the 

pretrial interview. A greater proportion of defendants 

charged with peonage, slavery, forced labor, or sex 

trafcking ofenses (38%) had less than a high school 

education than defendants charged with production of 

child pornography (17%) or transportation for illegal 

sex activity (15%). 

More than 9 in 10 (94%) human-trafcking defendants 

charged in U.S. district courts in 2015 were U.S. citizens. 

Legal aliens and persons in the country without legal 

authorization made up 3% each of human-trafcking 

suspects charged in 2015. 

Table 4 

Suspects in human-trafcking matters u.S. attorneys declined to prosecute, by reason, 2015 

Peonage, slavery, 

forced labor, and sex Production of child Transportation for 

Total trafcking pornography illegal sex activity 

Reason not prosecuted Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

Total 621 100% 355 100% 130 100% 136 100% 

Insufcient evidencea 361 58.1 228 64.2 68 52.3 65 47.8 

Referred to another jurisdictionb 112 18.0 49 13.8 24 18.5 39 28.7 

Prioritization of federal resourcesc 52 8.4 32 9.0 12 9.2 8 5.9 

Alternative to federal prosecutiond 42 6.8 21 5.9 13 10.0 8 5.9 

Opened in errore 27 4.3 16 4.5 5 3.8 6 4.4 

Legally barredf 11 1.8 5 1.4 2 1.5 4 2.9 

Rule 40 removalg 11 1.8 3 0.8 4 3.1 4 2.9 

Defendant unavailableh 5 0.8 1 0.3 2 1.5 2 1.5 

Note: A matter was declined when, prior to the fling of a complaint, information, or indictment, a decision was made not to continue with the 

investigation of a matter that has been opened and under consideration for prosecution. 

aInability to prove the case in court beyond a reasonable doubt. 

bDefendant subject to the authority of another jurisdiction. 

cCase is declined because of existing Department of Justice or U.S. Attorney’s Ofce policy. 

dAlternative civil, administrative, or disciplinary alternative was used. 

eOpened in error by the federal prosecutor (because users are unable to delete records in LIONS, this option serves as notifcation that the record 

should have been deleted). 

f

United States lacks jurisdiction to fle charges. 

gDefendant not prosecuted as they faced removal for an arrest for failing to appear in another district or for violating conditions of release set in 

another federal district. 

hDefendant is physically unavailable or the prosecutor exercises discretion based on defendant’s circumstances (e.g., deceased, deported, a fugitive, 

age, health, prior record, or personal matter). 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Executive Ofce for U.S. Attorneys, National Legal Information Ofce Network System 

(LIONS) database, fscal year 2015. 
 

 

 

 

Half (51%) of human-trafcking defendants had 

a prior conviction 

Tirty-one percent of human-trafcking ofenders 

charged in U.S. district court in 2015 had a prior 

felony conviction, and 20% had a prior misdemeanor 

conviction only. Te proportion of persons with a prior 

felony conviction was higher for defendants charged 

with peonage, slavery, forced labor, or sex trafcking 

(46%) than for defendants charged with production 

of child pornography or transportation for illegal sex 

activity (25% each). 

Table 5 

Characteristics of human-trafcking defendants in cases charged in u.S. district court, 2015 

Total 

Peonage, slavery, 

forced labor, and sex 

trafcking 

Production of child 

pornography 

Transportation for 

illegal sex activity 

Characteristic Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

Number of defendants 964 100% 283 100% 370 100% 311 100% 

Sex 

Male 849 88.3% 215 76.0% 341 92.4% 293 94.5% 

Female 113 11.7 68 24.0 28 7.6 17 5.5 

Race/Hispanic origina 

White 515 56.9% 53 20.4% 271 77.0% 191 65.2% 

Black 219 24.2 157 60.4 29 8.2 33 11.3 

Hispanic 157 17.3 46 17.7 47 13.4 64 21.8 

American Indian or Alaska Native 6 0.7 1 0.4 3 0.9 2 0.7 

Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other 

Pacifc Islander 8 0.9 3 1.2 2 0.6 3 1.0 

Age 

17 or younger 1 0.1% 1 0.4% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 

18–19 22 2.3 14 4.9 5 1.4 3 1.0 

20–24 151 15.7 69 24.4 43 11.6 39 12.6 

25–29 214 22.2 88 31.1 66 17.8 60 19.4 

30–34 146 15.2 42 14.8 62 16.8 42 13.5 

35–39 127 13.2 31 11.0 53 14.3 43 13.9 

40–44 100 10.4 17 6.0 49 13.2 34 11.0 

45–49 71 7.4 6 2.1 34 9.2 31 10.0 

50–54 54 5.6 7 2.5 29 7.8 18 5.8 

55–59 39 4.0 4 1.4 14 3.8 21 6.8 

60–64 19 2.0 2 0.7 8 2.2 9 2.9 

65 or older 19 2.0 2 0.7 7 1.9 10 3.2 

Median age 33 years 27 years 35 years 35 years 

Citizenship 

U.S. citizen 896 93.9% 256 92.1% 355 96.5% 285 92.5% 

Legal alien 28 2.9 13 4.7 6 1.6 9 2.9 

Illegal alien 30 3.1 9 3.2 7 1.9 14 4.5 

Education level 

Less than high school 182 22.2% 91 38.4% 52 16.5% 39 14.7% 

High school graduate 283 34.6 77 32.5 121 38.4 85 32.0 

Some college 242 29.6 58 24.5 89 28.3 95 35.7 

College graduate 111 13.6 11 4.6 53 16.8 47 17.7 

Marital status 

Single 418 49.9% 154 65.8% 142 43.2% 122 44.4% 

Married or cohabitating 231 27.6 50 21.4 93 28.3 88 32.0 

Divorced or separated 189 22.6 30 12.8 94 28.6 65 23.6 

Criminal recordb 

No prior convictions 477 49.5% 84 29.7% 209 56.5% 184 59.4% 

Prior misdemeanor only 189 19.6 69 24.4 70 18.9 50 16.1 

Prior felony conviction 297 30.8 130 45.9 91 24.6 76 24.5 

Note: The unit of count was a defendant interviewed, investigated, or supervised by federal pretrial services. Percentages are based on nonmissing 

records. Data were missing for sex (2), race/Hispanic origin (59), age (1), citizenship (10), education level (146), marital status (126), and prior conviction (1). 

aExcludes persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, unless specifed. 

bIncludes both federal and state convictions. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts, Probation and Pretrial Services Automated Case 

Tracking System, fscal year 2015. 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 9 

9 in 10 human-trafcking defendants adjudicated 

in u.S. district court in 2015 were convicted 

Human trafcking was the most serious ofense at case 

termination for 825 defendants adjudicated in 2015. Of 

these, 93% (769) were convicted (table 6). Defendants 

charged with production of child pornography (96%) 

had the highest conviction rate among trafcking 

ofenses, followed by transportation for illegal sex 

activity (92%) and peonage, slavery, forced labor, or 

sex trafcking (89%). Eighty-six percent of convicted 

defendants entered a guilty plea (table 7). 

a third of the convictions of human-trafcking 

defendants occurred in 10 u.S. districts in 2015 

Federal courts in 10 of the 94 federal districts handled 

34% (263) of human-trafcking defendants convicted 

in 2015 (map 2). Te fve districts with the most 

human-trafcking convictions included Middle 

District of Florida (46), Western District of Texas (35), 

Southern District of Florida (28), Western District of 

Missouri (28), and Eastern District of Pennsylvania (26). 

TABLE 6 

MaP 2 

Number of human-trafcking defendants convicted in 

u.S. district courts, 2015 

10 or fewer 21–30 

11–20 31 or more 

Note: A total of 769 defendants were convicted in cases where a humantrafcking ofense was the most serious charge at termination. Data not 

shown for District of Columbia (4), Guam (0), Virgin Islands (2), Northern 

Mariana Islands (2), and Puerto Rico (16). 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the 

Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts, Criminal Master File database, 

fscal year 2015. 

Defendants in human-trafcking cases terminated, by verdict, 2015 

Most serious ofense at termination 

Total 

Peonage, slavery, forced 

labor, and sex trafcking 

Forced labor 

Trafcking slaves 

Sex trafcking 

Other* 

Production of child pornography 

Transportation for illegal sex activity 

Median days from fling to disposition 

Total cases Convicted Not convicted 

terminated Total Number Percent Number Percent 

825 100% 769 93.2% 56 6.8% 

179 100% 160 89.4% 19 10.6% 

3 100% 3 : 0 : 

3 100% 3 : 0 : 

117 100% 107 91.5 10 8.5 

56 100% 47 83.9 9 16.1 

397 100% 381 96.0% 16 4.0% 

249 100% 228 91.6% 21 8.4% 

365 days 365 days 365 days 

Note: Most serious ofense at termination was determined by court personnel as the ofense with the greatest statutory maximum sentence. The unit 

of count is a defendant in a case terminated in U.S. district court. Defendants terminated in more than one case are counted separately. 

:Percentage not calculated due to fewer than 10 cases. 

*Includes conspiracy to commit a peonage, slavery, or trafcking ofense; and unlawful conduct with respect to documents. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts, Criminal Master File, fscal year 2015. 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 10 

TABLE 7 

Defendants in human-trafcking cases terminated, by mode of disposition, 2015 

Most serious ofense Total cases Guilty plea Convicted at trial Acquitted at trial Dismissed 

at termination terminated Total Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent 

Total 825 100% 709 85.9% 60 7.3% 4 0.5% 52 6.3% 

Peonage, slavery, forced 

labor, and sex trafcking 179 100% 140 78.2 20 11.2 2 1.1 17 9.5 

Sex trafcking 117 100% 91 77.8 16 13.7 1 0.9 9 7.7 

Other* 62 100% 49 79.0 4 6.5 1 1.6 8 12.9 

Production of child 

pornography 397 100% 354 89.2% 27 6.8% 1 0.3% 15 3.8% 

Transportation for illegal 

sex activity 249 100% 215 86.3% 13 5.2% 1 0.4% 20 8.0% 

Median days from fling 

to disposition 365 days 335 days 547 days 532 days 365 days 

Note: Most serious ofense at termination was determined by court personnel as the ofense with the greatest statutory maximum sentence. The unit 

of count is a defendant in a case terminated in U.S. district court. Defendants terminated in more than one case are counted separately. 

*Includes forced labor; trafcking slaves; conspiracy to commit a peonage, slavery, or trafcking ofense; and unlawful conduct with respect to 

documents. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts, Criminal Master File, fscal year 2015. 

TABLE 8 

Type of sentence imposed following a conviction for a human-trafcking ofense, 2015 

Sentence imposed Prison term 

Total Any prison Probation only Suspended 

sentence 

imposed

(months) 

Most serious ofense at termination convictions Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Mean Median 

Total 769 759 99.0% 1 0.1% 7 0.9% 253 180 

Peonage, slavery, forced labor, and sex 

trafcking 160 156 98.1% 1 0.6% 2 1.3% 160 134 

Forced labor 3 2 66.7 1 33.3 0 0.0 : : 

Trafcking slaves 3 3 100 0 0.0 0 0.0 : : 

Sex trafcking 107 104 98.1 0 0.0 2 1.9 183 159 

Other* 47 47 100 0 0.0 0 0.0 120 96 

Production of child pornography 381 377 99.2% 0 0.0% 3 0.8% 356 240 

Transportation for illegal sex activity 228 226 99.1% 0 0.0% 2 0.9% 144 120 

Note: The most serious ofense was determined by court personnel as the ofense with the greatest statutory maximum sentence. The unit of count is 

a defendant in a case terminated with a conviction and sentence in U.S. district court. Defendants convicted and sentenced in more than one case are 

counted separately. Two records were missing sentence type, and 11 records were missing prison sentence length. 

:Mean and median sentence length not calculated due to fewer than 10 cases. 

*Includes conspiracy to commit a peonage, slavery, or trafcking ofense; and unlawful conduct with respect to documents. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts, Criminal Master File database, fscal year 2015. 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 11 

Nearly all human-trafcking defendants 

convicted in federal court received a prison 

sentence in 2015 

Ninety-nine percent of the convicted human-trafcking 

defendants (759 of 769) received a prison sentence in 

2015 (table 8). Prison sentence rates did not vary much 

by type of human-trafcking ofense. Te number of 

defendants sentenced to prison increased from 132 in 

2000 to 759 in 2015 (table 9, fgure 2). 

Table 9 

Human-trafcking defendants sentenced annually to 

prison, 2000–2015 

Fiscal year Number of defendants sentenced to prison 

2000 132 

2001 143 

2002 175 

2003 240 

2004 259 

2005 317 

2006 333 

2007 377 

2008 410 

2009 429 

2010 425 

2011 452 

2012 570 

2013 604 

2014 722 

2015 759 

Note: Defendants convicted and sentenced to prison had human trafcking 

as most serious ofense at case termination. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Administrative 

Ofce of the U.S. Courts, Criminal Master File, fscal years 2000–2015. 

Figure 2 

Human-trafcking defendants sentenced annually to 

prison, 2000–2015 

Number of defendants 

sentenced to prison 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

'00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 

Note: Defendants convicted and sentenced to prison had human 

trafcking as the most serious ofense at case termination. See table 9 

for data. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the 

Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts, Criminal Master File, fscal years 

2000–2015. 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 12 

The median prison sentence for convicted 

human-trafcking defendants was 15 years in 2015 

Te median prison sentence imposed on the 

759 defendants convicted and sentenced to prison 

for a human-trafcking ofense was 15 years (180 

months). In 2015, defendants sentenced to prison 

for production of child pornography ofenses 

(240 months) had the longest median prison term, 

followed by defendants convicted of sex trafcking 

(159 months) and transportation for illegal sex activity 

(120 months). 

Te median prison sentence for human-trafcking 

defendants increased from 30 months in 2000 to 

180 months in 2015. Defendants sentenced for 

production of child pornography received a median 

prison sentence of 240 months in 2015, up from 

168 months in 2000 (fgure 3). Prison terms imposed 

Figure 3 

Median prison sentence imposed on human-trafcking 

defendants sentenced to prison, by ofense type, 

2000–2015 

Median prison term

imposed (months) 

350 

300 Child pornography

production 250 

200 

150 

100 

Total 

Transportation for

Peonage, slavery, forced

labor, or sex tra ̃cking* 50 

illegal sex activity 0 

'00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 

Note: Defendants convicted and sentenced to prison had human 

trafcking as the most serious ofense at case termination. See 

appendix table 1 for data. 

*The median prison term imposed is not displayed from 2000 to 2002 

due to fewer than 10 defendants sentenced to prison in each year. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the 

Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts, Criminal Master File, fscal years 

2000–2015. 

on defendants convicted of transportation for illegal 

sex activity increased from a median of 24 months in 

2000 to 120 months in 2015. Peonage, slavery, forced 

labor, or sex trafcking defendants received a median 

prison term of 93 months in 2003 (the frst year in 

the series that had more than 10 cases with which to 

compute a median) to 134 months in 2015. 

Te percentage of human-trafcking suspects 

prosecuted increased from 54% in 2000 to 

59% in 2015 (fgure 4). Te percentage of prosecuted 

human-trafcking defendants who were convicted 

varied from 90% in 2014 to 95% in 2001, while the 

percentage of convicted defendants who received 

a prison sentence increased from 92% in 2000 to 

99% in 2015. 

Figure 4 

Percent of human-trafcking suspects prosecuted, 

convicted, and sentenced to prison, 2000–2015 

Convicted defendants who 

Percent were sentenced to prisona 

100 

Defendants in cases terminated 

75 who were convictedb 

50 

Suspects in matters terminated 

who were prosecutedc 

25 

0 

'00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 

Note: See appendix table 2 for data. 

aPercentage of convicted defendants who had human trafcking as the 

most serious charge at case termination and received a prison sentence. 

bPercentage of defendants at case termination who had human 

trafcking as the most serious charge and were convicted. 

cPercentage of suspects in matters concluded who had human 

trafcking as the lead charge and were prosecuted in U.S. district court. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Executive 

Ofce for U.S. Attorneys, National Legal Information Ofce System and 

the Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts, Criminal Master File, fscal 

years 2000–2015. 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 13 

Methodology 

Tis report uses data from the Bureau of Justice 

Statistics’ Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) to 

describe persons federally charged, adjudicated, and 

sentenced for human trafcking. 

Te FJSP receives administrative data fles from six 

federal criminal justice agencies and standardizes 

this information to maximize comparability across 

and within agencies over time. Tis standardization 

process includes— 

 applying, where possible, person-case as the primary 

unit of count 

 using fscal year (October 1 through September 30) 

as the period for reported events 

 applying a uniform ofense classifcation across 

agencies 

 classifying disposition and sentences imposed.8 

Data sources 

Executive Ofce for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA). 

EOUSA’s National Legal Information Ofce Network 

System (LIONS) contains data on suspects in matters 

investigated and concluded by U.S. attorneys. Humantrafcking crimes are identifed through two methods. 

First, program category codes are used to report 

human-trafcking crimes handled by U.S. attorneys. 

Te program category code 05E is used to denote 

matters (since January 31, 2011) that involve “Slavery/ 

involuntary servitude and trafcking in persons. 

Violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1581 (peonage), 

1583 (enticement into slavery), 1584 (involuntary 

servitude), 1589 (forced labor), 1590 (trafcking 

into servitude), 1591 (where the ofense involves sex 

trafcking of adults by force, fraud, or coercion), 

1592 (document servitude), 1593A (benefting 

fnancially from peonage, slavery, and trafcking in 

persons), and 1594 (attempt or conspiracy to violate 

sections 1581-1590 or attempt or conspiracy to 

violate 1591 where the ofense involves sex trafcking 

of adults by force, fraud, or coercion).” Second, the 

LIONS manual defnes the lead charge variable as 

8Te FJSP was initiated in 1982 to serve as a central resource for 

information describing the case processing of federal criminal 

defendants and to meet BJS’s statutory mandate to “collect, analyze, 

and disseminate comprehensive federal justice transaction statistics 

...and to provide technical assistance to and work jointly with other 

federal agencies to improve the availability and quality of federal 

justice data” (34 U.S.C. 10132 (c) (15)). 

“the substantive statute that is the primary basis for 

referral.” Te unit of count is a suspect in a matter 

investigated or concluded. A matter may have more 

than one suspect. A matter is opened for investigations 

when an assistant U.S. attorney spends at least 1 hour 

on the matter. LIONS data also include case processing 

time from receipt of a matter by a federal prosecutor to 

the time of the decision by the prosecutor. 

Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts 

(AOUSC). Te AOUSC’s Probation and Pretrial 

Services Automated Case Tracking System (PACTS) 

database contains information on defendants 

interviewed and supervised by pretrial services. 

Demographic characteristics of defendants charged 

with a human-trafcking ofense are derived from 

information collected at the pretrial interview. Ofenses 

in the PACTS database are based on the most serious 

charged ofense, as determined by the probation 

ofcer responsible for interviewing the defendant. Te 

determination is made by frst classifying the major 

ofense charged into AOUSC four-digit ofense codes. 

For defendants charged with more than one ofense on 

an indictment, the ofcer chooses as the major charged 

ofense the one carrying the most severe penalty or, 

in the case of two or more charges carrying the same 

penalty, the one with the highest ofense severity. To 

determine the ofense severity level, ofenses are ranked 

according to the maximum sentence length, type of 

crime, and maximum fne amount. 

AOUSC’s Criminal Master File. Data on defendants 

in cases fled and terminated in U.S. district court are 

from the AOUSC’s Criminal Master File. Te Criminal 

Master File includes defendants charged with a felony 

or Class A or B misdemeanor ofense in U.S. district 

court. Human-trafcking crimes are identifed by using 

the most serious ofense at termination. AOUSC data 

include information on mode of disposition, sentence 

type, duration of prison and probation terms imposed, 

and district. Te unit of count is a defendant in a case 

fled or terminated in U.S. district court. Defendants in 

more than one case fling are counted separately. 
FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF HUMAN-TRAFFICKING CASES, 2015 | JUNE 2018 14 

 

 

APPENDIX TABLE 1 

Data for fgure 3: Median prison sentence imposed on human-trafcking 

defendants sentenced to prison, by ofense type, 2000–2015 

Fiscal year Total 

Peonage, slavery,

forced labor, or 

sex trafcking 

Production of child 

pornography Transportation for illegal sex activity 

2000 30 mos. -- 168 24 

2001 46 -- 121 27 

2002 41 -- 175 33 

2003 60 93 151 37 

2004 97 96 140 60 

2005 78 60 180 60 

2006 90 144 245 60 

2007 120 100 255 72 

2008 134 96 288 120 

2009 180 135 292 120 

2010 180 134 262 120 

2011 180 120 292 120 

2012 180 121 264 120 

2013 186 135 300 120 

2014 180 142 293 120 

2015 180 134 240 120 

--The median prison term imposed is not displayed from 2000 to 2002 due to fewer than 

10 defendants sentenced to prison in each year. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Administrative Ofce of the 

U.S. Courts, Criminal Master File, fscal years 2000–2015. 

APPENDIX TABLE 2 

Data for fgure 4: Percent of human-trafcking suspects prosecuted, 

convicted, and sentenced to prison, 2000–2015 

Suspects in matters 

terminated who 

Defendants in cases 

terminated who 

Convicted defendants 

who were sentenced 

Fiscal year were prosecuted were convicted to prison 

2000 53.6% 91.7% 91.7% 

2001 53.3 95.0 94.7 

2002 51.6 91.8 92.1 

2003 58.9 92.9 97.2 

2004 53.6 92.3 99.2 

2005 58.0 93.4 97.5 

2006 58.4 91.8 99.1 

2007 61.8 94.6 98.4 

2008 54.5 91.5 98.6 

2009 57.2 91.6 98.2 

2010 57.2 92.7 99.5 

2011 58.1 93.4 97.6 

2012 60.0 91.5 99.5 

2013 60.4 92.2 98.4 

2014 62.5 89.6 99.9 

2015 59.2 93.2 99.0 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, based on data from the Executive Ofce for U.S. Attorneys, 

National Legal Information Ofce System and the Administrative Ofce of the U.S. Courts, 

Criminal Master File, fscal years 2000–2015. 
Te Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the 

principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal 

victimization, criminal ofenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, 

and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at the federal, state, 

tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and disseminates reliable 

statistics on crime and justice systems in the United States, supports 

improvements to state and local criminal justice information systems, and 

participates with national and international organizations to develop and 

recommend national standards for justice statistics. Jefrey H. Anderson 

is director. 

Tis report was written by Mark Motivans and Howard N. Snyder. Suzanne 

Strong verifed the report. 

Brigitte Coulton and Jill Tomas edited the report. Tina Dorsey produced 

the report. 

June 2018, NCJ 251390 

ncj251390

Ofce of Justice Programs 

Building Solutions • Supporting Communities • Advancing Justice 

www.ojp.usdoj.gov