SUBCHAPTER B—TRANSPORT FOR ILLEGAL SEXUAL 
ACTIVITY 
Sec. 
211.
Transportation generally. 
212.
Coercion and enticement. 
213.
Transportation of children. 
214.
Use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a child. 
§ 211. Transportation generally 
Whoever knowingly transports an individual in interstate 
or foreign commerce, or in any territory or possession of the 
United States, with intent that such individual engage in pros-
titution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be 
charged with a criminal offense, or attempts to do so, shall be 
imprisoned not more than 10 years. 
§ 212. Coercion and enticement 
(a) Whoever knowingly persuades, induces, entices, or co-
erces any individual to travel in interstate or foreign commerce, 
or in any territory or possession of the United States, to en-
gage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any 
person can be charged with a criminal offense, or attempts to 
do so, shall be imprisoned not more than 20 years. 
(b) Whoever, using any facility of interstate or foreign 
commerce, or within the special maritime and territorial juris-
diction of the United States, knowingly persuades, induces, en-
tices, or coerces any child to engage in prostitution or any sex-
ual activity for which any person can be charged with a crimi-
nal offense, or attempts to do so, shall be imprisoned not less 
than 5 years and not more than 30 years. 
§ 213. Transportation of children 
(a) TRANSPORTATION WITH INTENT TO ENGAGE
IN 
CRIMINAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY.—Whoever transports a child in 
interstate or foreign commerce, or in any territory or posses-
sion of the United States, with intent that the child engage in 
prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can 
be charged with a criminal offense, shall be imprisoned not less 
than 5 years and not more than 30 years. 
(b) TRAVEL WITH INTENT TO ENGAGE IN ILLICIT SEX-
UAL CONDUCT.—Whoever travels in interstate commerce or 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
22:59 Oct 13, 2006
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 5422
E:\BILLS\H6253.IH
H6253
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
travels into the United States, or, being a United States citizen 
or an alien admitted for permanent residence in the United 
States, travels in foreign commerce, for the purpose of engag-
ing in any illicit sexual conduct shall be imprisoned not more 
than 30 years. 
(c) ENGAGING IN ILLICIT SEXUAL CONDUCT IN FOREIGN 
PLACES.—Any United States citizen or alien admitted for per-
manent residence who travels in foreign commerce, and engages 
in any illicit sexual conduct shall be imprisoned not more than 
30 years. 
(d) ANCILLARY OFFENSES.—Whoever, for the purpose of 
commercial advantage or private financial gain, arranges, in-
duces, procures, or facilitates the travel of a person knowing 
that such a person is traveling in interstate commerce or for-
eign commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual con-
duct shall be imprisoned not more than 30 years. 
(e) ATTEMPT
AND CONSPIRACY.—Whoever attempts or 
conspires to violate subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) shall be pun-
ishable in the same manner as a completed violation of that 
subsection. 
(f) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term ‘‘illicit 
sexual conduct’’ means— 
(1) a sexual act (as defined in section 205) with a 
child that would be in violation of subchapter A if the sex-
ual act occurred in the special maritime and territorial ju-
risdiction of the United States; 
(2) any commercial sex act (as defined in section 
1265) with a child; or 
(3) the production of child pornography, as defined in 
section 229. 
(g) DEFENSE.—In a prosecution under this section based 
on illicit sexual conduct as defined in subsection (f)(2), it is an 
affirmative defense that the defendant reasonably believed that 
the person with whom the defendant engaged in the commercial 
sex act had attained the age of 18 years. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
22:59 Oct 13, 2006
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 5422
E:\BILLS\H6253.IH
H6253
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
§ 214. Use of interstate facilities to transmit infor-
mation about a child 
Whoever, using a facility of interstate or foreign com-
merce, or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdic-
tion of the United States, knowingly transmits of the name, ad-
dress, telephone number, social security number, or electronic 
mail address of another individual, knowing that such other in-
dividual has not attained the age of 16 years, with the intent 
to entice, encourage, offer, or solicit any person to engage in 
any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with 
a criminal offense, or attempts to do so, shall be imprisoned 
not more than 5 years. 
SUBCHAPTER C—SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF 
CHILDREN 
Sec. 
221.
Sexual exploitation of children. 
222.
Selling or buying of children. 
223.
Certain activities relating to material involving the sexual exploi-
tation of children and child pornography. 
225.
Misleading domain names on the Internet. 
229.
Definitions for subchapter. 
230.
Record keeping requirements. 
231.
Failure to report child abuse. 
§ 221. Sexual exploitation of children 
(a) OFFENSE.—Whoever, as made applicable in subsection 
(b)— 
(1) either— 
(A) employs, uses, persuades, induces, entices, or 
coerces any child to engage in, or who has a child assist 
any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit 
conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depic-
tion of such conduct; or 
(B) transports any child in interstate or foreign 
commerce, or in any territory or possession of the 
United States, with the intent that such child engage 
in such conduct for such purpose; or 
(2) being a parent, legal guardian, or person having 
custody or control of a child knowingly permits such child 
to engage in, or to assist any other person to engage in, 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
22:59 Oct 13, 2006
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00047
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 5422
E:\BILLS\H6253.IH
H6253
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any 
visual depiction of such conduct; 
or attempts or conspires to do so shall be punished as provided 
under subsection (e). 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—Subsection (a) applies if— 
(1) the person engaging in that conduct knows or has 
reason to know that such visual depiction will be trans-
ported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce; 
(2) such visual depiction was produced using materials 
that have been transported in or affecting interstate or for-
eign commerce; or 
(3) such visual depiction has actually been transported 
in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce. 
(c) 
EXTRATERRITORIAL
JURISDICTION.—There 
is 
extraterritorial jurisdiction over an offense under subsection 
(a)(1) if the offender— 
(1) intends such visual depiction to be transported to 
the United States; or 
(2) transports such visual depiction to the United 
States. 
(d) ADVERTISEMENTS.—(1) Whoever, as made applicable 
by paragraph (2), knowingly makes, prints, or publishes, or 
causes to be made, printed, or published, any notice or adver-
tisement seeking or offering— 
(A) to receive, exchange, buy, produce, display, dis-
tribute, or reproduce, any visual depiction, if the production 
of such visual depiction involves the use of a child engaging 
in sexually explicit conduct and such visual depiction is of 
such conduct; or 
(B) participation in any act of sexually explicit con-
duct by or with any child for the purpose of producing a 
visual depiction of such conduct; 
shall be punished as provided under subsection (e). 
(2) Paragraph (1) applies if— 
(A) such person knows or has reason to know that 
such notice or advertisement will be transported in or af-
fecting interstate or foreign commerce; or 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
22:59 Oct 13, 2006
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00048
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 5422
E:\BILLS\H6253.IH
H6253
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS
(B) such notice or advertisement is transported in or 
affecting interstate or foreign commerce. 
(e) PUNISHMENT.—Whoever violates, or attempts or con-
spires to violate, this section shall be imprisoned not less than 
15 years nor more than 30 years, but if such person has one 
prior conviction under this subchapter, subchapter F of chapter 
35, or under section 920 of title 10 (article 120 of the Uniform 
Code of Military Justice), or under the laws of any State relat-
ing to the sexual exploitation of children, such person shall be 
imprisoned for not less than 25 years nor more than 50 years, 
but if such person has 2 or more such prior convictions, such 
person shall be imprisoned not less than 35 years nor more 
than life. Whoever, in the course of an offense under this sec-
tion, engages in conduct that results in the death of a person, 
shall be punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years 
or for life. 
§ 222. Selling or buying of children 
(a) TRANSFER OF CUSTODY.—Whoever, as made applica-
ble by subsection (d) and with a mental state described in sub-
section (c) having custody or control of a child, transfers that 
custody or control, or offers to do so, shall be punished by im-
prisonment for not less than 30 years or for life. 
(b) OBTAINING CUSTODY.—Whoever, as made applicable 
by subsection (d) and with a mental state described in sub-
section (c), obtains custody or control of a child, or offers to 
do so, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 30 
years or for life. 
(c) MENTAL STATE.—The mental state referred to in sub-
sections (a) and (b) is— 
(1) knowledge that, as a consequence of the transfer 
of custody, the child will be portrayed in a visual depiction 
engaging in, or assisting another person to engage in, sexu-
ally explicit conduct; or 
(2) intent to promote either— 
(A) the engaging in of sexually explicit conduct by 
such child for the purpose of producing any visual de-
piction of such conduct; or 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
22:59 Oct 13, 2006
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00049
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 5422
E:\BILLS\H6253.IH
H6253
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with BILLS