The federal statute criminalizing sex trafficking of a minor does not require proof that the defendant actually knows that his alleged victim is a minor, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled on Nov. 30.
Addressing an issue of first impression, the Second Circuit said that a provision added by Congress in 2008 to the statute “imposes strict liability with regard to the victim’s age, thus relieving the government’s usual burden to prove knowledge or reckless disregard of the victim’s under age status.”
