Involuntary Servitude Crimes

Vegas Defense Attorney Explains Involuntary Servitude Crimes

Both federal and state laws in the United States have strict prohibitions against involuntary servitude or slavery. Not only is involuntary servitude unlawful, but facilitating involuntary servitude and buying or selling persons are also very serious crimes. These offenses are some of the most serious crimes in the state of Nevada and the consequences for conviction can be very harsh.

If you come under suspicion for a crime related to involuntary servitude, you should reach out to a Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. Laws against involuntary servitude are found in Chapter 200 of Title 15 of Nevada’s code. Chapter 200 is the chapter of the criminal code prohibiting all different types of crimes against persons. LV Criminal Defense has a long and successful history of providing representation to defendants who have been accused of crimes in Chapter 200 of the criminal code.

Our legal team will put our extensive experience to help you determine if you should fight for an acquittal or, given the nature of the evidence against you, if a plea deal is more likely to result in a better outcome. We are prepared to go to court on your behalf to introduce reasonable doubt and present defenses. We can also negotiate with a prosecutor on your behalf to help you try to get charges reduced to a lesser offense or to argue for leniency in sentencing.

To find out more about how our legal team can assist you in fighting some of the most serious charges that you could face under the laws in the state of Nevada, give us a call today.

Nevada Laws on Involuntary Servitude and the Purchase or Sale of People

Within Chapter 200, there is a subcategory of offenses related to involuntary servitude, and to the purchase or the sale of another person. The statutes addressing these particular offenses are found in Nevada Revised Statutes section 200.463 through 200.465.

According to N.R.S. 200.463, there are many techniques that a defendant could use to cause someone to engage in involuntary servitude, all of which are unlawful. For example, the law prohibits knowingly subjecting someone to forced labor, attempting to subject someone to forced labor, or causing someone to be subject to forced labor or services when any of the following techniques are used:

• Causing physical harm to any person
• Threatening to cause physical harm to any person
• Physically restraining any person
• Threatening to physically restrain any person
• Abusing the law or legal process (an example might be threatening to have someone deported)
• Threatening to abuse the law or legal process
• Knowingly destroying, concealing, confiscating, removing, or otherwise possessing any actual passport, any purported passport, or any real or purported immigration document or government identification document belonging to the person being forced into labor
• Extortion
• Threatening to cause financial harm to any person
• Causing financial harm to any person

If a defendant does any of these actions to try to force someone into labor or service, the defendant could be convicted of a category B felony. Punishments vary for the Category B felony offense depending upon whether the victim suffered any type of substantial bodily harm while being held in involuntary servitude or while attempting to escape from involuntary servitude.

If the victim suffered any type of substantial harm in connection with the defendant’s involuntary servitude offense, the penalties for conviction for the Category B felony for involuntary servitude include a minimum of seven years of imprisonment and a maximum prison term of up to 20 years of incarceration. In addition, the defendant could also be fined a maximum of $50,000.

If the victim did not suffer any substantial bodily harm in connection with the imprisonment or with attempts to escape from the imprisonment, then the defendant would face a minimum of five years of imprisonment and a maximum of 20 years of jail time if convicted of the involuntary servitude offense. The defendant could also be fined up to $50,000 under these circumstances as well.

N.R.S. 200.464 establishes the rules for those who facilitate involuntary servitude. This statute makes it unlawful to recruit or entice someone into involuntary servitude. It also makes it unlawful to harbor or transport someone so that person could be subject to involuntary servitude, and it prohibits any conduct that provides someone for involuntary servitude or that involves obtaining a person who will engage in forced labor. Finally, the statute also makes it a crime to benefit from another person being held in involuntary servitude in any way.

Facilitating involuntary servitude in violation of N.R.S. 200.464 is a Category B felony offense. Upon conviction, the defendant could be sentenced to a minimum of one year in prison and a maximum prison term of 15 years. The defendant could also be fined $50,000.

Finally, N.R.S. 200.465 makes it a crime to assume rights of ownership over a person, to attempt to assume ownership rights over a person, to sell a person, to attempt to sell a person, to buy a person, to attempt to buy a person, or to deliver anything of value to another in order to have a person placed under his or her power or control.

A defendant who takes any steps to assume ownership of another person, or to facilitate the sale of a person or the assumption of ownership by anyone else, can be convicted of a Category B felony. Penalties may include a minimum five year prison term and a maximum of 20 years in prison along with a maximum fine of $50,000.