§2260 Production of Sexually Explicit Depictions of a Minor for Importation Into the United States

Summary

It is a federal crime for someone outside the United States to cause, recruit, persuade, or transport a minor to take part in sexually explicit acts to make photos, videos, or live streams when the person intends those images to be brought into the United States or into waters within 12 miles of the U.S. coast. It is also a federal crime for someone outside the United States to knowingly receive, move, ship, sell, distribute, or possess with intent to move or sell any image of a minor in sexually explicit acts if they intend the image to be brought into the United States or into waters within 12 miles of the coast. People who commit, try, or agree with others to commit these acts are punished under federal child-pornography laws, with the penalties listed in 18 U.S.C. 2251(e) for production and 18 U.S.C. 2252(b)(1) for distribution, including tougher penalties for repeat offenders.