S1136-119

What This Bill Does

The DETERRENCE Act adds sentencing enhancements to federal violent-crime statutes when a covered offense is committed knowingly at the direction of or in coordination with a foreign government or a foreign-government agent. The bill focuses on foreign-directed murder-for-hire and threats or assaults against federal officials' family members.

For murder-for-hire, sentences may increase by up to five years for foreign-government direction, up to ten years when personal injury results, and up to twenty years when death results. For threats or assaults against family members of federal officials, the bill adds escalating enhancements based on physical contact, bodily injury, kidnapping, attempted murder, murder, or other severe outcomes.

Who Benefits and How

Federal officials, family members of federal officials, potential assassination targets, national-security agencies, federal prosecutors, and victims of foreign-government-directed violence benefit from stronger penalty tools. The enhancements give prosecutors leverage and signal higher punishment for transnational repression or foreign-directed intimidation.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Defendants who commit murder-for-hire or threaten federal officials' families at the direction of foreign governments face longer prison exposure. Federal courts, probation offices, federal public defenders, and prosecutors must apply the foreign-direction findings and enhancement framework at sentencing.

Key Provisions

• Adds foreign-government-direction enhancements to murder-for-hire offenses.
• Adds higher enhancements when personal injury or death results.
• Adds foreign-direction enhancements for threats or assaults against family members of federal officials.
• Escalates penalties for bodily injury, kidnapping, attempted murder, and murder.
• Requires knowing direction by or coordination with a foreign government or agent.