I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8248 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide penalty enhancements 

for committing certain offenses while in disguise, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 6, 2024 

Mr. BURCHETT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide penalty 

enhancements for committing certain offenses while in 

disguise, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unmasking Antifa Act 

5 of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INTERFERENCE WITH PROTECTED RIGHTS WHILE 

7 IN DISGUISE. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 13 of title 18, United 

9 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 250 the 

10 following: 


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1 ‘‘§ 251. Interference with protected rights while in 

2 disguise 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Whoever, whether or not acting 

4 under color of law, while in disguise, including while wear5 ing a mask, injures, oppresses, threatens, or intimidates 

6 any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Pos7 session, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of 

8 any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution 

9 or laws of the United States, or because of his having so 

10 exercised the same, shall be fined under this title, impris11 oned not more than 15 years, or both. 

12 ‘‘(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec13 tion shall be construed so as to deter any law enforcement 

14 officer from lawfully carrying out the duties of his office; 

15 and no law enforcement officer shall be considered to be 

16 in violation of this section for lawfully carrying out the 

17 duties of his office or lawfully enforcing ordinances and 

18 laws of the United States, the District of Columbia, any 

19 of the several States, or any political subdivision of a 

20 State. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term 

21 ‘law enforcement officer’ means any officer of the United 

22 States, the District of Columbia, a State, or political sub23 division of a State, who is empowered by law to conduct 

24 investigations of, or make arrests because of, offenses 

25 against the United States, the District of Columbia, a 

26 State, or a political subdivision of a State.’’. 


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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

2 for chapter 13 of title 18, United States Code, is amended 

3 by inserting after the item related to section 250 the fol4 lowing: 

‘‘251. Interference with protected rights while in disguise.’’. 

5 SEC. 3. DESTROYING BUILDINGS OR PROPERTY WITHIN 

6 SPECIAL MARITIME AND TERRITORIAL JU7 RISDICTION WHILE IN DISGUISE. 

8 Section 1363 of title 18, United States Code, is 

9 amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Whoever, 

10 during the commission of an offense under this section, 

11 wears a disguise, including a mask, shall, in addition to 

12 any term of imprisonment otherwise imposed under this 

13 section, be imprisoned for 2 years.’’. 

Æ 


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