 The Travel Act , 18 U.S.C. § 1952 , criminalizes , inter alia , the use of interstate travel or the mail to distribute the proceeds of , or promote or manage , unlawful activity , including extortion or bribery . The Travel Act has been used to prosecute political corruption . For example , the Travel Act may be used to prosecute public officials for extortion and bribery in violation of state law , as the Supreme Court held in United States v. Nardello ( 1969 ) . According to Curato et al . : 
