{"jurisdiction": "us-ny", "code": "penal", "section": "230.34", "citation": "Penal Law § 230.34", "heading": "Sex trafficking", "text": ["§ 230.34 Sex trafficking.", "A person is guilty of sex trafficking if he or she intentionally advances or profits from prostitution by:", "1. unlawfully providing to a person who is patronized, with intent to impair said person's judgment: (a) a narcotic drug or a narcotic preparation; (b) concentrated cannabis as defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision four of section thirty-three hundred two of the public health law; (c) methadone; or (d) gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) or flunitrazepan, also known as Rohypnol;", "2. making material false statements, misstatements, or omissions to induce or maintain the person being patronized to engage in or continue to engage in prostitution activity;", "3. withholding, destroying, or confiscating any actual or purported passport, immigration document, or any other actual or purported government identification document of another person with intent to impair said person's freedom of movement; provided, however, that this subdivision shall not apply to an attempt to correct a social security administration record or immigration agency record in accordance with any local, state, or federal agency requirement, where such attempt is not made for the purpose of any express or implied threat;", "4. requiring that prostitution be performed to retire, repay, or service a real or purported debt;", "5. using force or engaging in any scheme, plan or pattern to compel or induce the person being patronized to engage in or continue to engage in prostitution activity by means of instilling a fear in the person being patronized that, if the demand is not complied with, the actor or another will do one or more of the following:", "(a) cause physical injury, serious physical injury, or death to a person; or", "(b) cause damage to property, other than the property of the actor; or", "(c) engage in other conduct constituting a felony or unlawful imprisonment in the second degree in violation of section 135.05 of this chapter; or", "(d) accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges or deportation proceedings to be instituted against some person; provided, however, that it shall be an affirmative defense to this subdivision that the defendant reasonably believed the threatened charge to be true and that his or her sole purpose was to compel or induce the victim to take reasonable action to make good the wrong which was the subject of such threatened charge; or", "(e) expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject some person to hatred, contempt or ridicule; or", "(f) testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with respect to another's legal claim or defense; or", "(g) use or abuse his or her position as a public servant by performing some act within or related to his or her official duties, or by failing or refusing to perform an official duty, in such manner as to affect some person adversely; or", "(h) perform any other act which would not in itself materially benefit the actor but which is calculated to harm the person who is patronized materially with respect to his or her health, safety, or immigration status.", "Sex trafficking is a class B felony"], "official_source": "https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/230.34", "from_official_api": true, "plain_english": "A person commits sex trafficking by **intentionally advancing or profiting from prostitution** through any of these means:\n- **(1)** unlawfully giving the patronized person, **with intent to impair that person's judgment**, a narcotic drug or narcotic preparation, concentrated cannabis (Public Health Law § 3302(4)(a)), methadone, or GHB or flunitrazepam (Rohypnol);\n- **(2)** making **material false statements, misstatements, or omissions** to induce or keep the person in prostitution;\n- **(3)** withholding, destroying, or confiscating any actual or purported passport, immigration document, or government ID of another **with intent to impair that person's freedom of movement**, except an attempt to correct a Social Security or immigration record under an agency requirement that is not made as a threat;\n- **(4)** **requiring prostitution to retire, repay, or service a real or purported debt**; or\n- **(5)** using force or a scheme to compel or induce prostitution by **instilling fear** that the actor or another will: (a) cause physical injury, serious physical injury, or death; (b) damage property other than the actor's; (c) commit a felony or unlawful imprisonment 2nd degree under **§ 135.05**; (d) accuse someone of a crime or start criminal charges or deportation proceedings; (e) expose a secret or publicize a fact tending to bring hatred, contempt, or ridicule; (f) testify, give, or withhold information about another's legal claim or defense; (g) misuse a public servant's official duties to harm someone; or (h) do any other act that would not materially benefit the actor but is meant to materially harm the patronized person's health, safety, or immigration status. ★\n- For **(5)(d)** only, it is an **affirmative defense** that the defendant reasonably believed the threatened charge was true and acted solely to make the victim take reasonable action to make good that wrong.\nSex trafficking is a **class B felony**. ★", "in_force_on": "2026-05-31", "retrieved": "2026-09-27", "url": "https://elyphived.com/us-ny/penal/230.34", "publisher": "Elyphived LLC"}