diff --git a/PENDING.md b/PENDING.md
index 3aef0023fdcd..73e2f4ce3f79 100644
--- a/PENDING.md
+++ b/PENDING.md
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ IMPROVEMENTS
   * [\#3418](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/issues/3418) Add vesting account
   genesis validation checks to `GaiaValidateGenesisState`.
   * [\#3420](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/issues/3420) Added maximum length to governance proposal descriptions and titles
+  * [\#3454](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/3454) Add `--jail-whitelist` to `gaiad export` to enable testing of complex exports
   * [\#3424](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/issues/3424) Allow generation of gentxs with empty memo field.
 
 * SDK
@@ -79,7 +80,7 @@ BUG FIXES
   - [\#3419](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/3419) Fix `q distr slashes` panic 
   - [\#3453](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/3453) The `rest-server` command didn't respect persistent flags such as `--chain-id` and `--trust-node` if they were
     passed on the command line.
-
+    
 * Gaia
 
 * SDK
diff --git a/cmd/gaia/app/app_test.go b/cmd/gaia/app/app_test.go
index 81f57abd6a6f..0ee1596ea878 100644
--- a/cmd/gaia/app/app_test.go
+++ b/cmd/gaia/app/app_test.go
@@ -58,6 +58,6 @@ func TestGaiadExport(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Making a new app object with the db, so that initchain hasn't been called
 	newGapp := NewGaiaApp(log.NewTMLogger(log.NewSyncWriter(os.Stdout)), db, nil, true)
-	_, _, err := newGapp.ExportAppStateAndValidators(false)
+	_, _, err := newGapp.ExportAppStateAndValidators(false, []string{})
 	require.NoError(t, err, "ExportAppStateAndValidators should not have an error")
 }
diff --git a/cmd/gaia/app/export.go b/cmd/gaia/app/export.go
index edf319cfa1f1..efc9c2051451 100644
--- a/cmd/gaia/app/export.go
+++ b/cmd/gaia/app/export.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package app
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"log"
 
 	abci "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/types"
 	tmtypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
@@ -18,14 +19,14 @@ import (
 )
 
 // export the state of gaia for a genesis file
-func (app *GaiaApp) ExportAppStateAndValidators(forZeroHeight bool) (
+func (app *GaiaApp) ExportAppStateAndValidators(forZeroHeight bool, jailWhiteList []string) (
 	appState json.RawMessage, validators []tmtypes.GenesisValidator, err error) {
 
 	// as if they could withdraw from the start of the next block
 	ctx := app.NewContext(true, abci.Header{Height: app.LastBlockHeight()})
 
 	if forZeroHeight {
-		app.prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx)
+		app.prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx, jailWhiteList)
 	}
 
 	// iterate to get the accounts
@@ -56,7 +57,23 @@ func (app *GaiaApp) ExportAppStateAndValidators(forZeroHeight bool) (
 }
 
 // prepare for fresh start at zero height
-func (app *GaiaApp) prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx sdk.Context) {
+func (app *GaiaApp) prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx sdk.Context, jailWhiteList []string) {
+	applyWhiteList := false
+
+	//Check if there is a whitelist
+	if len(jailWhiteList) > 0 {
+		applyWhiteList = true
+	}
+
+	whiteListMap := make(map[string]bool)
+
+	for _, addr := range jailWhiteList {
+		_, err := sdk.ValAddressFromBech32(addr)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		whiteListMap[addr] = true
+	}
 
 	/* Just to be safe, assert the invariants on current state. */
 	app.assertRuntimeInvariantsOnContext(ctx)
@@ -136,6 +153,9 @@ func (app *GaiaApp) prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx sdk.Context) {
 		validator.BondHeight = 0
 		validator.UnbondingHeight = 0
 		valConsAddrs = append(valConsAddrs, validator.ConsAddress())
+		if applyWhiteList && !whiteListMap[addr.String()] {
+			validator.Jailed = true
+		}
 
 		app.stakingKeeper.SetValidator(ctx, validator)
 		counter++
@@ -143,6 +163,8 @@ func (app *GaiaApp) prepForZeroHeightGenesis(ctx sdk.Context) {
 
 	iter.Close()
 
+	_ = app.stakingKeeper.ApplyAndReturnValidatorSetUpdates(ctx)
+
 	/* Handle slashing state. */
 
 	// reset start height on signing infos
diff --git a/cmd/gaia/app/sim_test.go b/cmd/gaia/app/sim_test.go
index bbb5a2b4e6c4..dae525342a46 100644
--- a/cmd/gaia/app/sim_test.go
+++ b/cmd/gaia/app/sim_test.go
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ func TestGaiaImportExport(t *testing.T) {
 
 	fmt.Printf("Exporting genesis...\n")
 
-	appState, _, err := app.ExportAppStateAndValidators(false)
+	appState, _, err := app.ExportAppStateAndValidators(false, []string{})
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ func TestGaiaSimulationAfterImport(t *testing.T) {
 
 	fmt.Printf("Exporting genesis...\n")
 
-	appState, _, err := app.ExportAppStateAndValidators(true)
+	appState, _, err := app.ExportAppStateAndValidators(true, []string{})
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/gaia/cmd/gaiad/main.go b/cmd/gaia/cmd/gaiad/main.go
index 00ebb9667a55..d6d88e0dfa30 100644
--- a/cmd/gaia/cmd/gaiad/main.go
+++ b/cmd/gaia/cmd/gaiad/main.go
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ func newApp(logger log.Logger, db dbm.DB, traceStore io.Writer) abci.Application
 }
 
 func exportAppStateAndTMValidators(
-	logger log.Logger, db dbm.DB, traceStore io.Writer, height int64, forZeroHeight bool,
+	logger log.Logger, db dbm.DB, traceStore io.Writer, height int64, forZeroHeight bool, jailWhiteList []string,
 ) (json.RawMessage, []tmtypes.GenesisValidator, error) {
 	if height != -1 {
 		gApp := app.NewGaiaApp(logger, db, traceStore, false)
@@ -74,8 +74,8 @@ func exportAppStateAndTMValidators(
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, nil, err
 		}
-		return gApp.ExportAppStateAndValidators(forZeroHeight)
+		return gApp.ExportAppStateAndValidators(forZeroHeight, jailWhiteList)
 	}
 	gApp := app.NewGaiaApp(logger, db, traceStore, true)
-	return gApp.ExportAppStateAndValidators(forZeroHeight)
+	return gApp.ExportAppStateAndValidators(forZeroHeight, jailWhiteList)
 }
diff --git a/server/constructors.go b/server/constructors.go
index 909bda8e2535..5a51937a9a95 100644
--- a/server/constructors.go
+++ b/server/constructors.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ type (
 
 	// AppExporter is a function that dumps all app state to
 	// JSON-serializable structure and returns the current validator set.
-	AppExporter func(log.Logger, dbm.DB, io.Writer, int64, bool) (json.RawMessage, []tmtypes.GenesisValidator, error)
+	AppExporter func(log.Logger, dbm.DB, io.Writer, int64, bool, []string) (json.RawMessage, []tmtypes.GenesisValidator, error)
 )
 
 func openDB(rootDir string) (dbm.DB, error) {
diff --git a/server/export.go b/server/export.go
index 16187fa664e5..1637b1dd2e81 100644
--- a/server/export.go
+++ b/server/export.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 const (
 	flagHeight        = "height"
 	flagForZeroHeight = "for-zero-height"
+	flagJailWhitelist = "jail-whitelist"
 )
 
 // ExportCmd dumps app state to JSON.
@@ -54,7 +55,8 @@ func ExportCmd(ctx *Context, cdc *codec.Codec, appExporter AppExporter) *cobra.C
 			}
 			height := viper.GetInt64(flagHeight)
 			forZeroHeight := viper.GetBool(flagForZeroHeight)
-			appState, validators, err := appExporter(ctx.Logger, db, traceWriter, height, forZeroHeight)
+			jailWhiteList := viper.GetStringSlice(flagJailWhitelist)
+			appState, validators, err := appExporter(ctx.Logger, db, traceWriter, height, forZeroHeight, jailWhiteList)
 			if err != nil {
 				return errors.Errorf("error exporting state: %v\n", err)
 			}
@@ -78,6 +80,7 @@ func ExportCmd(ctx *Context, cdc *codec.Codec, appExporter AppExporter) *cobra.C
 	}
 	cmd.Flags().Int64(flagHeight, -1, "Export state from a particular height (-1 means latest height)")
 	cmd.Flags().Bool(flagForZeroHeight, false, "Export state to start at height zero (perform preproccessing)")
+	cmd.Flags().StringSlice(flagJailWhitelist, []string{}, "List of validators to not jail state export")
 	return cmd
 }