Trafficking convictions would require giving up property tied to crimes

Courts would order convicted people to give the state their ownership interest in property tied to their crime. The requirement would cover people convicted of offenses under Pennsylvania's human trafficking chapter. Covered property includes assets involved in the crime, assets used or intended to help commit it, profits from it, and assets traceable to those assets or profits. The requirement would take effect 60 days after the bill becomes law.

The Attorney General or district attorney would transfer forfeited money, property, or sale proceeds to pay court-ordered restitution, meaning compensation owed to victims. Compensation orders must arise from human trafficking offenses. These payments would come before distributions to law enforcement agencies, prosecutors' offices, or the commission named in the law. Proper costs of taking, holding, and selling property would be paid from sale proceeds before the remaining proceeds are distributed. Using forfeited assets for compensation would not reduce the convicted person's duty to pay the full ordered amount from assets that were not forfeited. These rules would take effect 60 days after the bill becomes law.