Subdivision 1. Generally. As used in sections 609.281 to 609.284, the following terms have the meanings given.

Subd. 2. Blackmail. "Blackmail" means a threat to expose any fact or alleged fact tending to cause shame or to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule.

Subd. 3. Debt bondage. "Debt bondage" means the status or condition of a debtor arising from a pledge by the debtor of the debtor's personal services or those of a person under the debtor's control as a security for debt, if the value of those services as reasonably assessed is not applied toward the liquidation of the debt or the length and nature of those services are not respectively limited and defined.

Subd. 4. Forced labor or services. "Forced labor or services" means labor or services that are performed or provided by another person and are obtained or maintained through an actor's:

(1) threat, either implicit or explicit, scheme, plan, or pattern, or other action intended to cause a person to believe that, if the person did not perform or provide the labor or services, that person or another person would suffer bodily harm or physical restraint;

(2) physically restraining or threatening to physically restrain a person;

(3) abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process;

(4) knowingly destroying, concealing, removing, confiscating, or possessing any actual or purported passport or other immigration document, or any other actual or purported government identification document, of another person; or

(5) use of blackmail.

Subd. 5. Labor trafficking. "Labor trafficking" means:

(1) the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, enticement, provision, obtaining, or receipt of a person by any means, for the purpose of:

(i) debt bondage or forced labor or services;

(ii) slavery or practices similar to slavery; or

(iii) the removal of organs through the use of coercion or intimidation; or

(2) receiving profit or anything of value, knowing or having reason to know it is derived from an act described in clause (1).

Subd. 6. Labor trafficking victim. "Labor trafficking victim" means a person subjected to the practices in subdivision 5.

History: 2005 c 136 art 17 s 15; 2009 c 137 s 2