FEPA was designed to supplement the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and expand liability to foreign government officials who solicit or accept bribes from US companies.

The Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (“FEPA”) came into law as part of the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, sweeping in a new era in U.S. anti-corruption measures. FEPA criminalizes demand-side bribery by foreign officials. FEPA targets both the demand and acceptance of a bribe from U.S. entities or individuals, or anyone within U.S. territory, with the intention of securing or retaining an unfair advantage in business. Notably, prior to FEPA, neither the FCPA nor the U.S. domestic bribery regime addressed corrupt demands by foreign officials on U.S. persons. The new FEPA models U.S. anti-boycott laws by requiring “victims” of bribery to report bribery demands and requests.