Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73
§3298 Trafficking-related offenses
Title 18 › Part PART II— - CRIMINAL PROCEDURE › Chapter CHAPTER 213— - LIMITATIONS › § 3298
Summary
Prosecutors must file formal charges within 10 years for certain non-death-penalty trafficking crimes. If no indictment or information is filed within 10 years, the person cannot be prosecuted for crimes like peonage, enticement into slavery, sale into involuntary servitude, forced labor, trafficking, related document offenses, and the offense in section 274(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §3298
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
No person shall be prosecuted, tried, or punished for any non-capital offense or conspiracy to commit a non-capital offense under section 1581 (Peonage; Obstructing Enforcement), 1583 (Enticement into Slavery), 1584 (Sale into Involuntary Servitude), 1589 (Forced Labor), 1590 (Trafficking with Respect to Peonage, Slavery, Involuntary Servitude, or Forced Labor), or 1592 (Unlawful Conduct with Respect to Documents in furtherance of Trafficking, Peonage, Slavery, Involuntary Servitude, or Forced Labor) of this title or under section 274(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act unless the indictment is found or the information is instituted not later than 10 years after the commission of the offense.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
section 274(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, referred to in text, is classified to section 1324(a) of Title 8, Aliens and Nationality.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 3298
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73