Idaho law requires that profits from a criminal defendant's deal to tell their crime story (including through a movie, book, or magazine article) be paid first to the state treasurer to be placed in an escrow account, and victims or their families must be notified and may claim those funds through civil lawsuits within five years.
July 23, 2025
high
legal
State-level statute allocating proceeds from criminals' publicity deals to an escrow mechanism and enabling victim claims.
Idaho law provides that profits a criminal would receive from telling or commercializing their crime (for example, through a movie, book, or magazine article) are first directed to the state treasurer and placed into an escrow account to be made available for victims or their families.
high
legal
Statutory mechanism used by some U.S. states to prevent criminals from personally benefiting from recounting their crimes and to prioritize victim restitution.