Title 18Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73not60

§1593 Mandatory Restitution

Title 18 › Part I— CRIMES › Chapter 77— PEONAGE, SLAVERY, AND TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS › § 1593

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Courts must make defendants pay money back to victims for any crime in this chapter. The payment is in addition to any other punishments. The court will decide the full amount the victim lost and order the defendant to pay. The order is issued and enforced the same way federal restitution orders normally are (under section 3664). The "full amount of the victim’s losses" means the items listed in section 2259(c)(2) (for example medical costs, lost earnings, and similar harms) and must also include whichever is larger: the gross income or value of the victim’s services to the defendant, or the value of that work under the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.). Property forfeiture follows section 413 (except subsection (d)) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 853). A "victim" is the person harmed. If the victim is under 18, unable to act, or dead, a guardian, estate representative, family member, or other court-appointed person may act for them, but not the defendant.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §1593

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Notwithstanding section 3663 or 3663A, and in addition to any other civil or criminal penalties authorized by law, the court shall order restitution for any offense under this chapter.
(b)(1)The order of restitution under this section shall direct the defendant to pay the victim (through the appropriate court mechanism) the full amount of the victim’s losses, as determined by the court under paragraph (3) of this subsection.
(2)An order of restitution under this section shall be issued and enforced in accordance with section 3664 in the same manner as an order under section 3663A.
(3)As used in this subsection, the term “full amount of the victim’s losses” has the same meaning as provided in section 2259(c)(2) and shall in addition include the greater of the gross income or value to the defendant of the victim’s services or labor or the value of the victim’s labor as guaranteed under the minimum wage and overtime guarantees of the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.).
(4)The forfeiture of property under this subsection shall be governed by the provisions of section 413 (other than subsection (d) of such section) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 853).
(c)As used in this section, the term “victim” means the individual harmed as a result of a crime under this chapter, including, in the case of a victim who is under 18 years of age, incompetent, incapacitated, or deceased, the legal guardian of the victim or a representative of the victim’s estate, or another family member, or any other person appointed as suitable by the court, but in no event shall the defendant be named such representative or guardian.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Fair Labor Standards Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(3), probably means the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, act June 25, 1938, ch. 676, 52 Stat. 1060, which is classified generally to chapter 8 (§ 201 et seq.) of Title 29, Labor. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 201 of Title 29 and Tables.

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 115–299 substituted “section 2259(c)(2)” for “section 2259(b)(3)”. 2008—Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 110–457 added par. (4).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 1593

Title 18Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60