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Rep. Pat Harrigan calls for tougher espionage penalties in H.R. 4081
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Summary
Representative Pat Harrigan told the Judiciary Committee H.R. 4081 would impose mandatory minimum sentences—10 years for economic espionage and 15 years for defense espionage—and double penalties for intellectual property theft committed on behalf of foreign adversaries, citing recent cases and FBI estimates of large-scale IP theft.
Representative Pat Harrigan told the House Judiciary Committee that his bill, H.R. 4081, the Foreign Adversary Federal Offense Act, would significantly increase criminal penalties for espionage and theft of intellectual property when committed on behalf of statutorily designated foreign adversaries.
Harrigan said the bill establishes mandatory minimums of 10 years for economic espionage and 15 years for defense-related espionage, and would double penalties for IP theft carried out for foreign adversaries. He cited a string of recent cases—an ex-Army analyst convicted for selling missile-defense data, two Navy sailors who shared ship blueprints and weapons systems information, and a Broadcom engineer who took hundreds of chip-design files—and argued current penalties "invite more theft, more betrayal, and more risk."
Harrigan referenced an FBI estimate—discussed on related committees—that U.S. intellectual property losses may total hundreds of billions annually, and said stiffer penalties would act as a deterrent. He asked committee members for their input and support but did not request immediate committee action at the member day.
No vote or formal referral was recorded during the member-day remarks; members were told they have five legislative days to submit materials for the record.
