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Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-110

§1952 Interstate and Foreign Travel or Transportation in Aid of Racketeering Enterprises

Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 95 — RACKETEERING › § 1952

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

It is a crime to travel across state or international lines, or to use the mail or other services that cross those lines, if you do it with the plan to either move the profits of illegal activity, commit a violent crime to help illegal activity, or to run or help run an illegal business—and then you do or try to do those things. If the act is moving illegal profits or running the illegal business, the punishment can be a fine, up to 5 years in prison, or both. If the act is a violent crime to help the illegal activity, the punishment can be a fine, up to 20 years in prison, or both, and if someone dies because of it you can be sentenced for any number of years or life. “Unlawful activity” here covers things like illegal gambling, liquor with unpaid federal tax, illegal drugs, prostitution (under state or federal law), extortion, bribery, arson, and certain financial crimes including money laundering. “State” includes the states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Liquor cases are investigated under the Attorney General’s supervision. If the offense involves a pre-retail medical product, the punishment follows the rule for that product unless these penalties are greater. The rule does not apply to savings promotion raffles run by insured banks or insured credit unions, where entries come only from deposits into savings and each entry has an equal chance to win.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §1952

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whoever travels in interstate or foreign commerce or uses the mail or any facility in interstate or foreign commerce, with intent to—
(1)distribute the proceeds of any unlawful activity; or
(2)commit any crime of violence to further any unlawful activity; or
(3)otherwise promote, manage, establish, carry on, or facilitate the promotion, management, establishment, or carrying on, of any unlawful activity,
and thereafter performs or attempts to perform—
(A)an act described in paragraph (1) or (3) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both; or
(B)an act described in paragraph (2) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both, and if death results shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life.
(b)As used in this section (i) “unlawful activity” means (1) any business enterprise involving gambling, liquor on which the Federal excise tax has not been paid, narcotics or controlled substances (as defined in section 102(6) of the Controlled Substances Act), or prostitution offenses in violation of the laws of the State in which they are committed or of the United States, (2) extortion, bribery, or arson in violation of the laws of the State in which committed or of the United States, or (3) any act which is indictable under subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 31, United States Code, or under section 1956 or 1957 of this title and (ii) the term “State” includes a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.
(c)Investigations of violations under this section involving liquor shall be conducted under the supervision of the Attorney General.
(d)If the offense under this section involves an act described in paragraph (1) or (3) of subsection (a) and also involves a pre-retail medical product (as defined in section 670), the punishment for the offense shall be the same as the punishment for an offense under section 670 unless the punishment under subsection (a) is greater.
(e)(1)This section shall not apply to a savings promotion raffle conducted by an insured depository institution or an insured credit union.
(2)In this subsection—
(A)the term “insured credit union” shall have the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1752);
(B)the term “insured depository institution” shall have the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813); and
(C)the term “savings promotion raffle” means a contest in which the sole consideration required for a chance of winning designated prizes is obtained by the deposit of a specified amount of money in a savings account or other savings program, where each ticket or entry has an equal chance of being drawn, such contest being subject to regulations that may from time to time be promulgated by the appropriate prudential regulator (as defined in section 1002 of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C. 5481)).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 102(6) of the Controlled Substances Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(i)(1), is classified to section 802(6) of Title 21, Food and Drugs.

Amendments

2014—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 113–251 added subsec. (e). 2012—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 112–186 added subsec. (d). 2002—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 107–296 substituted “Attorney General” for “Secretary of the Treasury”. 1994—Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(L), which directed the amendment of this section by substituting “under this title” for “not more than $10,000”, could not be executed because the phrase “not more than $10,000” did not appear in text subsequent to amendment of subsec. (a) by Pub. L. 103–322, § 140007(a). See below. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–322, § 140007(a), substituted “and thereafter performs or attempts to perform—” and subpars. (A) and (B) for former concluding provisions which read as follows: “and thereafter performs or attempts to perform any of the acts specified in subparagraphs (1), (2), and (3), shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.” 1990—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–647, § 1604, inserted “the mail or” after “uses” and struck out “including the mail,” before “with intent” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101–647, § 1205(i), inserted “(i)” after “As used in this section” and added cl. (ii). 1986—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 99–570 added cl. (3). 1970—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 91–513, § 701(i)(2)(A), inserted “or controlled substances (as defined in section 102(6) of the Controlled Substances Act)”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 91–513, § 701(i)(2)(B), struck out reference to investigations involving narcotics. 1965—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 89–68 made section applicable to travel in aid of arson.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2002 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 107–296 effective 60 days after Nov. 25, 2002, see section 4 of Pub. L. 107–296, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 101 of Title 6, Domestic Security.

Effective Date

of 1970 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 91–513 effective on first day of seventh calendar month that begins after Oct. 26, 1970, see section 704 of Pub. L. 91–513, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 801 of Title 21, Food and Drugs.

Short Title

This section is popularly known as the “Travel Act”.

Savings Provision

Amendment by Pub. L. 91–513 not to affect or abate any prosecutions for any violation of law or any civil seizures or forfeitures and injunctive proceedings commenced prior to the

Effective Date

of such amendment, and all administrative proceedings pending before the former Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs on Oct. 27, 1970, were to be continued and brought to final determination in accord with laws and

Regulations

in effect prior to Oct. 27, 1970, see section 702 of Pub. L. 91–513, set out as a

Savings Provision

note under section 321 of Title 21, Food and Drugs.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 1952

Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110