Bipartisan senators push tougher penalties for foreign-backed crimes on US soil

In the wake of the arrest of two foreign nationals seeking to murder a U.S. journalist on behalf of the Iranian government, a bipartisan group of senators put forward a bill Tuesday to stiffen penalties on people who commit crimes in the U.S. on behalf of foreign countries.

Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Jim Banks, R-Ind., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., introduced the Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors (DETERRENCE) Act.

The bill increases penalties on murder-for-hire schemers, those convicted of attempted murder or assassination of federal officials, as well as suspects allegedly involved in attempting to kill former officials because of their actions while in office.

Stalking and attempted kidnapping in the name of foreign governments would also lead to more serious charges for any offender. Many sentence enhancements fell at 10 additional years in prison.

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“If you commit crimes in America on behalf of foreign adversaries, you must face serious consequences,” Slotkin said in a statement.

“The bipartisan DETERRENCE Act helps strengthen penalties for these crimes and sends a clear message about how seriously we take our national security and how we will hold accountable those who commit crimes against our nation.” 

In March, two foreigners appeared in New York federal court and pleaded not guilty to an alleged murder-for-hire plot against Masih Alinejad – an Iranian-born U.S. journalist.

Rafat Amirov of Iran and Polad Omarov of the Czech Republic and Slovenia were members of the Russian mob and were hired by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to kill the New York City resident, according to prosecutors.

“Finally, I will face the men hired by the Islamic Republic to kill me, right here in New York,” Alinejad said at the time.

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“I’m deeply grateful to my new country, the United States of America, for trying to keep me safe from the government of my birth country, Iran.”

Ernst said the U.S. cannot allow foreign adversaries like Iran to “fund crimes against Americans on our own soil.”

She called the DETERRENCE Act an example of Reagan-esque “peace through strength” that puts foreign criminals “on notice” and is a direct warning to anyone trying to act on Tehran’s motto of “Death to America.”

Meanwhile, Hassan said in a statement that Congress should pass the legislation as a clear message to foreign adversaries that they will face serious consequences if their criminal behavior crosses the U.S. border.

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“Foreign adversaries are working with gangs and criminals in the United States to try to kill people on our soil, which is a national security risk,” she warned. 

Another reported foreign murder-for-hire plot was revealed last fall when an ex-Indian intelligence officer allegedly plotted to kill a U.S. citizen in New York who was a leader of a pro-Sikh independence movement.

Vikash Yadav’s October indictment reportedly laid out a connection to the Indian government, according to NPR.