On December 14, 2023, Congress passed the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (“FEPA”), a new anti-corruption law, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024. Before the FEPA’s passage, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) only criminalized the giving or offering of a bribe to a foreign official. The FEPA makes it a federal crime for a foreign official to demand a bribe or anything of value from individuals or entities hoping to do business with them. Persons who violate the FEPA would be subject to a potential fine not to exceed $250,000 and imprisonment up to 15 years, or both.
HR4696 – Foreign Extortion Prevention Act | US Congressman Joe Wilson Press Release