Interstate domestic violence
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
(a) Offenses.
(1) Travel or conduct of offender. A person who travels in or enters or leaves Indian country or is present within the with the intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner, and who, in the course of or as a result of such travel or presence, commits or to commit a crime of violence against that spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner, shall be punished as provided in subsection (b).
(2) Causing travel of victim. A person who causes a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner to travel in or to enter or leave Indian country by force, coercion, duress, or fraud, and who, in the course of, as a result of, or to facilitate such conduct or travel, commits or to commit a crime of violence against that spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner, shall be punished as provided in subsection (b).
(b) Penalties. A person who violates this section or section 2261A shall be , imprisoned—
(1) for life or any term of years, if death of the victim results;
(2) for not more than 20 years if permanent disfigurement or life threatening to the victim results;
(3) for not more than 10 years, if to the victim results or if the offender uses a dangerous weapon during the offense;
(4) as provided for the applicable conduct under chapter 109A if the offense would constitute an offense under chapter 109A (without regard to whether the offense was committed in the or in a Federal prison); and
(5) for not more than 5 years, in any other case,
or both fined and imprisoned.
(6) Whoever commits the crime of stalking in violation of a temporary or permanent civil or criminal injunction, restraining order, no-contact order, or other order described in section 2266 of title 18, United States Code, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 1 year.
History: (Added Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, §40221(a), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1926 (PDF, 52 MB); amended Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title X, §1069(b)(1), (2), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2656; Pub. L. 106–386, div. B, title I, §1107(a), Oct. 28, 2000, 114 Stat. 1497; Pub. L. 109–162, title I, §§114(b), 116(a), 117(a), Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 2988, 2989; Pub. L. 113–4, title I, §107(a), Mar. 7, 2013, 127 Stat. 77.)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime to travel across state or national lines, or into or out of Indian country or federal territory, intending to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner, and then commit or attempt a violent crime against that person. It is also a crime to force or trick a partner into traveling across those lines and commit or attempt a violent crime against them.