Sean “Diddy” Combs has been convicted of prostitution-related offenses under the federal Mann Act, an anti-sex trafficking law with a century-old history.

The Mann Act of 1910 is a federal law that today criminalizes the transportation of individuals across state lines or international borders for illegal sexual activity, regardless of consent. Sex trafficking is similar, but with the caveat that the individuals involved are either underage or were coerced, forced, or deceived.

The law, passed in 1910, prohibits the interstate or foreign transportation of an individual for sex. It has at times been used as a tool for political persecution.