US Government Begins $200M Payouts to Backpage Trafficking Victims

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially launched a new compensation process for victims of human trafficking who were exploited through the Backpage website.

The initiative, announced today, is the largest of its kind to date for victims of human trafficking and will distribute over $200 million in forfeited assets. The funds were seized from Backpage’s profits in December 2024, following criminal convictions against the website’s owners and executives.

According to a DOJ press release, Backpage was used as a major online platform for commercial sex and sex trafficking for 14 years, from 2004 until its government seizure in April 2018. During this time, the website and its operators made millions by knowingly allowing ads for illegal commercial sex, including the trafficking of minors.

Hackread.com’s coverage from April 2018 detailed the FBI’s seizure of the website and the legal pressures that had been mounting for years. This earlier report also highlighted that Backpage was once the second-largest classified advertising site after Craigslist, with a section that drew scrutiny for being a hub for prostitution.

The government’s action against Backpage was a collaborative effort involving the FBI, the US Postal Inspection Service, and the IRS Criminal Investigation. IRS Chief Guy Ficco noted that his agency’s role was to “follow that financial trail to expose criminal networks and help bring justice to survivors,” signifying how a financial investigation was key to the case.

The seizure itself came on the heels of the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) in 2017, a law designed to hold websites accountable for enabling such crimes.

The DOJ’s remission process is now managed by a third-party administrator, Epiq Global Inc. Individuals who were victims of sex trafficking through Backpage between January 1, 2004, and April 6, 2018, and suffered financial losses may be eligible for a share of the forfeited funds.

****Backpage Now Redirects to An X-rated Site****

Although Backpage was once seized by the US government, it now redirects to an unrelated X-rated site. The domain, previously held by federal authorities, appears to have changed hands and is being used to drive traffic elsewhere.

This change is not linked to the original investigation or DOJ efforts but raises some serious concerns about how high-profile domains linked to large-scale criminal cases are repurposed.

Seized Backpage website (Image credit: Hackread.com)

****How Victims Can File a Claim****

Victims or their legal representatives can file a petition for compensation. The DOJ has made it clear that there is no cost to participate in this process. The DOJ stressed that this process is a direct result of its commitment to holding those who profit from human trafficking accountable.

The initiative uses funds forfeited from Backpage’s “ill-gotten gains” to provide compensation to real victims, fulfilling a promise to take the profit out of crime. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti stated that the compensation process underscores the department’s “unwavering commitment” to this goal.

Interested parties can visit the official website, backpageremission.com, to find a petition form, learn about eligibility, and get more information. The deadline to file a petition is February 2, 2026. The department emphasised that it will not ask for any payment, urging victims to use only the official channels to avoid scams.

This initiative is part of a larger DOJ effort that has returned over $12 billion in forfeited assets to crime victims since 2000 under the Asset Forfeiture Program.