DOJ Extends Payout Deadline for Trafficking Victims to March 2025

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced an extension of the deadline for financial compensation claims from sex trafficking victims who were advertised on the websites Backpage and CityXGuide. Victims now have until March 31, 2025, to file for compensation, providing a crucial opportunity for those affected to seek financial redress.

In a tweet, the FBI emphasized that survivors trafficked on these platforms may be eligible for compensation. They noted that while the process can be daunting, assistance is available through free legal services at backpageremission.com. The DOJ initiated this compensation process in July 2025, marking one of the largest remission efforts for human trafficking victims to date.

The Backpage website was seized and shut down by the FBI on April 6, 2018, after operating for 15 years. Originally created as a competitor to Craigslist, it functioned as a classified advertising platform that included a section for “Adult Services.” Between 2004 and April 2018, the DOJ alleges that criminals exploited Backpage.com to facilitate commercial sex and sex trafficking, including the trafficking of minors.

The FBI described Backpage as the “internet’s leading source of prostitution-related advertisements.” In a news release, Matthew R. Galeotti, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, stated, “Backpage.com facilitated the exploitation of women and children as one of the largest online advertisers for commercial sex and sex trafficking over its 14-year existence. Backpage and its executives made millions off the trafficking of victims. Today’s announcement underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to use forfeiture to take the profit out of crime and to compensate victims.”

Victims of trafficking on CityXGuide between April 8, 2018, and July 19, 2020, are also eligible for compensation from the DOJ. The funding for these compensations comes from more than $200 million in assets, which include cash, cryptocurrency, and a parcel of real estate in San Francisco linked to Backpage’s profits. These assets were forfeited to the government in December 2024.

To assist in the compensation process, the DOJ has engaged Epiq Global Inc. as the Remission Administrator. Victims, their representatives, or the estates of deceased victims can file a petition online for compensation.

As the DOJ continues to address the ramifications of human trafficking, this extended deadline provides a vital chance for victims to reclaim some semblance of justice and support.