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What is a witness protection program & how does it work?
Who is eligible for the Witness Security program?
What percentage of people are protected by the Witness Protection Program?
The U.S. Marshals Service protects and relocates witnesses and their families who testify against major criminals and terrorists. Learn about the program's history, guidelines, benefits and successes since 1971.
Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after trials, usually by police.
- Meredith Danko
- The witness protection program used to provide plastic surgery for witnesses. To entice mobster Aladena Fratianno to testify in the late 1970s, the program paid for his wife’s surgery, including breast implants and a facelift.
- The Witness Protection Program is officially known as the Witness Security Program, or WITSEC. WITSEC is run not by the FBI, but by the U.S. Marshals Service.
- The Witness Protection Program began as a result of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970. In part, the Act said that the government would protect witnesses.
- WITSEC was founded by Gerald Shur. Shur worked for the Justice Department at the time; he was the head of the Witness Security Program for around 25 years and was instrumental in turning it into what it is today.
Learn how the U.S. Marshals Service protects witnesses and their families who testify against dangerous criminals. Find out the eligibility criteria, the process, the risks and the history of the Witness Security Program.
- Kevin Bonsor
The United States Federal Witness Protection Program (WPP), also known as the Witness Security Program or WITSEC, is a witness protection program codified through 18 U.S. Code § 3521 and administered by the United States Department of Justice.
2024. The U.S. Marshals Service operates the federal Witness Security Program, sometimes referred to as the “Witness Protection Program.”. Witnesses protected by the Witness Security Program generally testify against major criminal organizations and their members, such as traditional organized crime groups, gangs and terrorist organizations.
Learn how the U.S. Marshals Service protects witnesses and their families who testify against major criminal organizations and their members. Find out the program's history, benefits, eligibility and vetting process.
