Federal · Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

18 U.S.C. § 1352: Demands by foreign officials for bribes

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

It is illegal to demand or accept bribes from foreign officials, international organization employees, or U.S. persons to influence official acts or duties. Violations carry penalties up to $250,000 in fines or 3 times the bribe value, and up to 15 years imprisonment.

Read the full statutory text
any official or employee of a foreign government or any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof; or any senior foreign political figure, as defined in section 1010.605 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation; any official or employee of a public international organization; a government, department, agency, or instrumentality described in subparagraph (A)(i); or a public international organization. an organization that is designated by Executive order pursuant to section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act ( 22 U.S.C. 288 ); or any other international organization that is designated by the President by Executive order for the purposes of this section, effective as of the date of publication of the order in the Federal Register. any person (as defined in section 104A of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 ( 15 U.S.C. 78dd–3 ), except that that definition shall be applied without regard to whether the person is an offender) while the foreign official or person selected to be a foreign official, or a person acting on behalf of the foreign official or person selected to be a foreign official, is in the territory of the United States; an issuer (as defined in section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ( 15 U.S.C. 78c(a) )), or any officer, director, employee, or agent of an issuer or any stockholder thereof acting on behalf of the issuer; or a domestic concern (as defined in section 104 of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 ( 15 U.S.C. 78dd–2 )), or any officer, director, employee, or agent of a domestic concern or any stockholder thereof acting on behalf of the domestic concern; and being influenced in the performance of any act or decision of the foreign official or person selected to be a foreign official in the official capacity of the foreign official or person selected to be a foreign official; being induced to do or omit to do any act in violation of the lawful duty of the foreign official or person selected to be a foreign official; conferring any improper advantage; or using the influence of the foreign official or person selected to be a foreign official with a foreign government or instrumentality thereof to affect or influence any act or decision of that government or instrumentality, Any person who violates paragraph (1) shall be fined not more than $250,000 or 3 times the monetary equivalent of the thing of value, imprisoned for not more than 15 years, or both. An offense under paragraph (1) shall be subject to extraterritorial Federal jurisdiction. focusing, in part, on demands by foreign officials for bribes from entities domiciled or incorporated in the United States, and the efforts of foreign governments to prosecute such cases; addressing United States diplomatic efforts to protect entities domiciled or incorporated in the United States from foreign bribery, and the effectiveness of those efforts in protecting such entities; summarizing major actions taken under this section in the previous year, including enforcement actions taken and penalties imposed; evaluating the effectiveness of the Department of Justice in enforcing this section; and detailing what resources or legislative action the Department of Justice needs to ensure adequate enforcement of this section. This subsection shall not be construed as encompassing conduct that would violate section 30A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ( 15 U.S.C. 78dd–1 ) or section 104 or 104A of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 ( 15 U.S.C. 78dd–2 ; 15 U.S.C. 78dd–3 ) whether pursuant to a theory of direct liability, conspiracy, complicity, or otherwise.

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.