HR2394-119

What This Bill Does

The DETERRENCE Act targets transnational repression and foreign-directed violence. It amends the federal murder-for-hire statute so a sentence may be increased by up to 5 years when the offense is knowingly committed at the direction of or in coordination with a foreign government or its agent, and by up to 10 years when personal injury results. It also amends the statute covering threats or injuries to federal officials' family members: if the offense is foreign-government-directed or coordinated, sentences may increase by up to 5 years for assault involving physical contact or intent to commit another felony, by up to 10 years for bodily injury, sexual-abuse-type conduct, or use of a dangerous weapon, and by up to 10 years for murder, attempted murder, or conspiracy to murder.

Who Benefits and How

Federal officials' family members benefit because foreign-directed threats, assaults, and murder plots against them carry higher sentencing exposure. Targets of foreign-government intimidation benefit because the bill treats coordinated murder-for-hire as more serious federal crime. Federal prosecutors benefit from explicit enhancements for foreign-government direction or coordination in covered violent offenses. National security investigators benefit because the statute gives clearer sentencing consequences for transnational repression cases.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Defendants convicted of foreign-directed murder-for-hire face up to 5 additional years, or up to 10 additional years when personal injury results. Defendants targeting federal officials' family members face added sentencing exposure for assaults, sexual-abuse-type conduct, dangerous weapons, murder, attempted murder, or conspiracy. Foreign-government agents coordinating violent crimes face higher federal sentencing stakes through the directed-or-coordinated element. Federal courts must determine whether the foreign-government coordination facts support the new enhancements.

Key Provisions

• Amends the murder-for-hire statute to add a 5-year enhancement for foreign-government-directed or coordinated offenses.
• Adds a 10-year murder-for-hire enhancement when foreign-government-directed conduct causes personal injury.
• Amends the federal-official family-member statute to add enhancements for foreign-directed assaults and violent conduct.
• Provides up to 10 additional years for bodily injury, dangerous weapon use, sexual-abuse-type conduct, murder, attempted murder, or conspiracy in covered cases.