Wildlife Trafficking Enforcement Act of 2015

To make wildlife trafficking a predicate offense under racketeering and money laundering statutes and the Travel Act, to provide for the use for conservation purposes of amounts from civil penalties, fines, forfeitures, and restitution under such statutes based on such violations, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Wildlife Trafficking Enforcement Act of 2015 2. Wildlife trafficking violations as predicate offenses under racketeering and money laundering statutes (a) Travel Act Section 1952 of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (b)— (A) by striking or (3) (3) (B) by striking of this title and (ii) of this title, or (4) any act that is a criminal violation of section 9(a)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1538(a)(1) 16 U.S.C. 4223 16 U.S.C. 5305a(a) (2) by adding at the end the following: (e) Use of amounts from fines, forfeitures, and restitution relating to wildlife trafficking violations (1) In general The Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, for use in accordance with paragraph (2), the amounts received as fines, forfeitures of property or assets, or restitution to the Federal Government for any violation under this section that is based on an unlawful activity described in subsection (b)(i)(4). (2) Funds Of the amounts transferred under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall use such amounts as each Secretary determines necessary for the benefit of the species impacted by the applicable violation, to the extent practicable, by depositing the amounts into any fund that is created or authorized under Federal law for conservation purposes. . (b) Money laundering Section 1956 of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (c)(7)— (A) in subsection (E), by striking or (B) in subsection (F), by adding or (C) by adding at the end the following: (G) any act that is a criminal violation of section 9(a)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1538(a)(1) 16 U.S.C. 4223 16 U.S.C. 5305a(a) ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (j) Use of amounts from civil penalties, fines, forfeitures, and restitution relating to wildlife trafficking violations (1) In general The Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, for use in accordance with paragraph (2), the amounts received as civil penalties, fines, forfeitures of property or assets, or restitution to the Federal Government for any violation under this section that is based on specified unlawful activity described in subsection (c)(7)(G). (2) Funds Of the amounts transferred under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall use such amounts as each Secretary determines necessary for the benefit of the species impacted by the applicable violation, to the extent practicable, by depositing the amounts into any fund that is created or authorized under Federal law for conservation purposes. . (c) RICO Chapter 96 (1) in section 1961(1)— (A) by striking or (G) (G) (B) by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following: , or (H) any act that is a criminal violation of section 9(a)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1538(a)(1) 16 U.S.C. 4223 16 U.S.C. 5305a(a) (2) in section 1963, by adding at the end the following: (n) Use of amounts from fines, forfeitures, and restitution relating to wildlife trafficking violations (1) In general The Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, for use in accordance with paragraph (2), the amounts received as fines, forfeitures of property or assets, or restitution to the Federal Government for any violation of section 1962 that is based on racketeering activity described in section 1961(1)(H). (2) Funds Of the amounts transferred under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall use such amounts as each Secretary determines necessary for the benefit of the species impacted by the applicable violation, to the extent practicable, by depositing the amounts into any fund that is created or authorized under Federal law for conservation purposes. . (d) Technical and conforming amendments (1) Use of amounts from fines Section 1402(b)(1)(A) of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 ( 42 U.S.C. 10601(b)(1)(A) (A) in clause (i), by striking and (B) by adding at the end the following: (iii) sections 1952(e), 1956(j), and 1963(n) of title 18, United States Code; and . (2) Use of amounts from forfeitures Section 524(c)(4)(A) of title 28, United States Code, is amended by inserting before or the Postmaster General the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to section 1952(e), 1956(j), or 1963(n) of title 18,

Summary: Wildlife Trafficking Enforcement Act of 2015 This bill applies provisions of the federal criminal code concerning money laundering and racketeering to wildlife trafficking violations of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the African Elephant Conservation Act, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, if the endangered or threatened species of fish or wildlife, products, items, or substances involved in the violation and relevant conduct have a total value of more than $10,000. Violators would be subject to increased fines and years of imprisonment. The amounts generated from penalties for those wildlife violations must be used for the benefit and conservation of impacted species.