United States Federal Statutes provided by your criminal lawyer

Learn the law. Here is the child abuse and child molestation law from the United States Federal Code.

Note: These excerpts are for informational purposes only. Please consult your child abuse attorney for legal advice if you are in need of only the best child molestation lawyer.

(d) Any individual who violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not less than 10 years nor more than 20 years, and \1\ both, but if such person has one prior conviction under this chapter, chapter 109A, or chapter 117, or under the laws of any State relating to the sexual exploitation of children, such person shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for not less than 15 years nor more than 30 years, but if such person has 2 or more prior convictions under this chapter, chapter 109A, or chapter 117, or under the laws of any State relating to the sexual exploitation of children, such person shall be fined under this title and imprisoned not less than 30 years nor more than life. Any organization that violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this title. Whoever, in the course of an offense under this section, 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.

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\1\ So in original. Probably should be ``or''.
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(Added Pub. L. 95-225, Sec. 2(a), Feb. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 7; amended Pub. L. 98-292, Sec. 3, May 21, 1984, 98 Stat. 204; Pub. L. 99-500, Sec. 101(b) [title VII, Sec. 704(a)], Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783-39, 1783-75, and Pub. L. 99-591, Sec. 101(b) [title VII, Sec. 704(a)], Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341-39, 3341-75; Pub. L. 99-628, Secs. 2, 3, Nov. 7, 1986, 100 Stat. 3510; Pub. L. 100-690, title VII, Sec. 7511(a), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4485; Pub. L. 101-647, title XXXV, Sec. 3563, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4928; Pub. L. 103-322, title VI, Sec. 60011, title XVI, Sec. 160001(b)(2), (c), (e), title XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(S)-(U), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1973, 2037, 2148; Pub. L. 104-208, div. A, title I, Sec. 101(a) [title I, Sec. 121[4]], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009, 3009-26, 3009-30; Pub. L. 105-314, title II, Sec. 201, Oct. 30, 1998, 112 Stat. 2977.)

Codification
Pub. L. 99-591 is a corrected version of Pub. L. 99-500.

Amendments
1998--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105-314, Sec. 201(a), inserted ``if that visual depiction was produced using materials that have been mailed, shipped, or transported in interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer,'' before ``or if''. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 105-314, Sec. 201(b), inserted ``, if that visual depiction was produced using materials that have been mailed, shipped, or transported in interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer,'' before ``or if''. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 105-314, Sec. 201(c), substituted ``, chapter 109A, or chapter 117'' for ``or chapter 109A'' in two places. 1996--Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104-208 amended subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) read as follows: ``Any individual who violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both, but, if such individual has a prior conviction under this chapter or chapter 109A, such individual shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not less than five years nor more than 15 years, or both. Any organization which violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this title. Whoever, in the course of an offense under this section, 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.''

1994--Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 330016(1)(S)-(U), which directed the amendment of this section by substituting ``under this title'' for ``not more than $100,000'', ``not more than $200,000'', and ``not more than $250,000'', could not be executed because those phrases did not appear in text subsequent to amendment of subsec. (d) by Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 160001(b)(2). See below. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 160001(e), inserted ``, or attempts or conspires to violate,'' after ``violates'' in two places.

Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 160001(c), substituted ``conviction under this chapter or chapter 109A'' for ``conviction under this section''. Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 160001(b)(2)(C), substituted ``fined under this title'' for ``fined not more than $250,000'' in penultimate sentence.

Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 160001(b)(2)(B), substituted ``fined under this title,'' for ``fined not more than $200,000, or'' before ``imprisoned not less than five years''.

Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 160001(b)(2)(A), substituted ``fined under this title,'' for ``fined not more than $100,000, or'' before ``imprisoned not more than 10 years''.

Pub. L. 103-322, Sec. 60011, inserted at end ``Whoever, in the course of an offense under this section, 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.''

1990--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101-647 substituted ``person to engage in,'' for ``person to engage in,,''. 1988--Subsec. (c)(2)(A), (B). Pub. L. 100-690 inserted ``by any means including by computer'' after ``commerce''. 1986--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99-628, Secs. 2(1), (3), inserted ``, or who transports any minor in interstate or foreign commerce, or in any Territory or Possession of the United States , with the intent that such minor engage in,'' after ``assist any other person to engage in,'' and substituted ``subsection (d)'' for ``subsection (c)''. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99-628, Sec. 2(2), substituted ``subsection (d)'' for ``subsection (c)''. Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 99-628, Sec. 2(3), (4), added subsec. (c) and redesignated former subsec. (c) as (d).

Pub. L. 99-500 and Pub. L. 99-591 substituted ``five years'' for ``two years'' in subsec. (c). 1984--Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 98-292, Sec. 3(1), (2), substituted ``visual depiction'' for ``visual or print medium'' in three places and substituted ``of'' for ``depicting'' before ``such conduct''. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 98-292, Sec. 3(3)-(6), substituted ``individual'' for ``person'' in three places, ``$100,000'' for ``$10,000'', and ``$200,000'' for ``$15,000'', and inserted ``Any organization which violates this section shall be fined not more than $250,000.''