Foreign Extortion Prevention Act

{{Short description|United States federal law}}

{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}

{{Infobox U.S. legislation

| shorttitle =

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| enacted by = 118th

| signedpresident = Joe Biden

| acronyms = FEPA

| signeddate = December 22, 2023

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The Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) is a United States federal law that enables US authorities to prosecute foreign officials who demand or accept bribes from a US citizen, US company, or within a US jurisdiction. FEPA was signed into law by Joe Biden on December 22, 2023, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.{{Cite web |date=December 22, 2023 |title=Congress Enacts the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act Targeting Foreign Officials' Conduct |url=https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/congress-enacts-the-foreign-extortion-9312299/ |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=JD Supra |language=en}}

Analysts stated that FEPA addresses a longstanding gap in US anti-bribery legislation by tackling the "demand" side of bribery. At the same time, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) focuses on the "supply" side of bribery.{{Cite news |last=Sun |first=Mengqi |date=2024-01-02 |title=U.S. Prosecutors Can Charge Foreign Officials With Bribery Under New Provision |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-prosecutors-can-charge-foreign-officials-with-bribery-under-new-provision-ec3a4dfc |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-01-04 |issn=0099-9660}}{{Cite web |date=December 19, 2023 |title=Congress Passes the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act |url=https://www.natlawreview.com/article/corrupt-foreign-leaders-now-hook-bribery-charges-congress-passes-foreign-extortion |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=The National Law Review |language=en}}

One expert noted that FEPA is "probably the most important U.S. anti-bribery effort since the FCPA itself became law. The law amends the federal domestic bribery statute to add a new subsection punishing foreign government officials for demanding or receiving a bribe. The law is quite specific in that it is intended to be extraterritorial in nature. This means that demanding or receiving a bribe, even if done somewhere else, is now a crime punishable in the United States."{{Cite news |last=Weber|first=David |date=2024-01-09 |title=Why Disney World is America’s greatest law enforcement tool |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/4397725-why-disney-world-is-americas-greatest-law-enforcement-tool/ |access-date=2024-01-10 |work=The Hill |language=en-US}}