§ 1586
Service on vessels in slave trade
Up to 2 years
Human Trafficking & Slavery
None sentenced (FY2025)
Ch. 77 · Peonage, Slavery, and Trafficking in Persons
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Whoever, being a citizen or resident of the United States, voluntarily serves on board of any vessel employed or made use of in the transportation of slaves from any foreign country or place to another, shall be or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 773 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB).)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime for a U.S. citizen or resident to voluntarily serve on a ship used to carry slaves from one foreign place to another.