18 U.S.C. § 521
Verified against govinfo.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on govinfo.gov ↗
- (a)“conviction” includes a finding, under State or Federal law, that a person has committed an act of juvenile delinquency involving a violent or controlled substances felony.“criminal street gang” means an ongoing group, club, organization, or association of 5 or more persons—“State” means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.
- (A)that has as 1 of its primary purposes the commission of 1 or more of the criminal offenses described in subsection (c);
- (B)the members of which engage, or have engaged within the past 5 years, in a continuing series of offenses described in subsection (c); and
- (C)the activities of which affect interstate or foreign commerce.
- (b)The sentence of a person convicted of an offense described in subsection (c) shall be increased by up to 10 years if the offense is committed under the circumstances described in subsection (d).
- (c)The offenses described in this section are—
- (1)a Federal felony involving a controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) for which the maximum penalty is not less than 5 years;
- (2)a Federal felony crime of violence that has as an element the use or attempted use of physical force against the person of another;
- (3)a Federal offense involving human trafficking, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or transportation for prostitution or any illegal sexual activity; and
- (4)a conspiracy to commit an offense described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3).
- (d)The circumstances described in this section are that the offense described in subsection (c) was committed by a person who—
- (1)participates in a criminal street gang with knowledge that its members engage in or have engaged in a continuing series of offenses described in subsection (c);
- (2)intends to promote or further the felonious activities of the criminal street gang or maintain or increase his or her position in the gang; and
- (3)has been convicted within the past 5 years for—
- (A)an offense described in subsection (c);
- (B)a State offense—
- (i)involving a controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) for which the maximum penalty is not less than 5 years’ imprisonment; or
- (ii)that is a felony crime of violence that has as an element the use or attempted use of physical force against the person of another;
- (C)any Federal or State felony offense that by its nature involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person of another may be used in the course of committing the offense; or
- (D)a conspiracy to commit an offense described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C).