Human trafficking.

Existing law makes it a felony, generally known as human trafficking, to deprive or violate the personal liberty of another with the intent to effect or maintain a felony violation of, among other crimes, pimping, pandering, and abducting a minor for the purpose of prostitution. Existing law, the California Control of Profits of Organized Crime Act, defines criminal profiteering as any act committed or attempted, or any threat made for financial gain or advantage, that may be charged as a crime under specified provisions, including murder, money laundering, human trafficking, and crimes in which the perpetrator induces, encourages, persuades, threatens, or forces a person under 18 years of age to engage in a commercial sex act. Under existing law, property and assets acquired or received in exchange for the proceeds immediately derived from the pattern of criminal profiteering activity are subject to forfeit. The money proceeds from that forfeiture are distributed as prescribed. In cases involving human trafficking of minors for purposes of prostitution or lewd conduct or in any case involving taking a person for prostitution in which the victim is a minor, the funds are deposited in the Victim-Witness Assistance Fund to be available for appropriation to fund child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse victim counseling centers and prevention programs and for grants to community-based organizations that serve minor victims of human trafficking. This bill would authorize the forfeiture of vehicles, boats, airplanes, money, negotiable instruments, securities, real property, or other things of value used for the purpose of facilitating the human trafficking involving a commercial sex act where the victim is an individual under 18 years of age at the time of the commission of the crime and property acquired through human trafficking or which was received in exchange for the proceeds of human trafficking of a person under 18 years of age when the crime involved a commercial sex act. The bill would prescribe the distribution of those funds, including to the General Fund of the state or local governmental entity, whichever prosecutes, and to the Victim-Witness Assistance Fund to be used upon appropriation for grants to community-based organizations that serve victims of human trafficking.