I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1744 

To direct the President to submit to Congress a report on fugitives currently 

residing in other countries whose extradition is sought by the United 

States and related matters. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 27, 2017 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. SIRES, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. 

LANCE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. MARINO, Mr. TED LIEU of 

California, Mr. CRAMER, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. POE of Texas, and Mr. 

COSTA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the President to submit to Congress a report 

on fugitives currently residing in other countries whose 

extradition is sought by the United States and related 

matters. 

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 ‘‘Walter Patterson and 

5 Werner Foerster Justice and Extradition Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1744 IH

1 (1) Extradition is the formal surrender of a 

2 person by one state to another state for prosecution 

3 or punishment. 

4 (2) Refusal by other nations to extradite or oth5 erwise render to the United States fugitives within 

6 their jurisdiction who have been convicted of com7 mitting crimes on United States soil impedes the ju8 dicial process and undermines the rule of law. 

9 (3) The United States has bilateral extradition 

10 treaties with more than 100 nations and an extra11 dition agreement with the European Union. 

12 (4) The United States has bilateral extradition 

13 treaties with Portugal and Cuba. 

14 (5) The failure to bring criminal fugitives to 

15 justice in the United States is an affront to the vic16 tims of those crimes. 

17 (6) The refusal of Portugal, a close ally and 

18 good friend of the United States, to extradite George 

19 Wright, convicted of the 1962 murder of Walter 

20 Patterson, fugitive from justice since his 1970 es21 cape from the Bayside State Prison in New Jersey, 

22 is a deplorable example of a failure to extradite, and 

23 has caused ongoing suffering and stress to Mr. Pat24 terson’s surviving family and friends. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1744 IH

1 (7) The refusal of Cuba to extradite or other2 wise render Joanne Chesimard, an escaped convict 

3 who fled to Cuba after killing Werner Foerster, New 

4 Jersey State Trooper, is a deplorable example of a 

5 failure to extradite or otherwise render, and has 

6 caused ongoing suffering and stress to Mr. 

7 Foerster’s surviving family and friends. 

8 (8) The refusals to extradite George Wright 

9 and Joanne Chesimard are emblematic of a number 

10 of such refusals from other nations, such that 

11 United States policies and efforts to secure extra12 dition and the extradition policies of countries from 

13 which the United States seeks extradition and ren14 dition bear further examination. 

15 (9) Such examination will be promoted by the 

16 issuance of a public report on the status of extra17 dition requests by the United States and related 

18 matters. 

19 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to provide 

20 information necessary to evaluate and thereby strengthen 

21 United States Government efforts to extradite fugitives. 

22 SEC. 3. REPORT. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days after the 

24 date of the enactment of this Act, and not later than the 

25 end of each 12-month period thereafter, the President 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1744 IH

1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

2 a report on— 

3 (1) the number of fugitives, and others for 

4 whom the United States Government is seeking ex5 tradition or rendition, currently residing in other 

6 countries whose extradition is sought by the United 

7 States and a list of those countries; 

8 (2) diplomatic and other efforts, if any, the 

9 United States has undertaken to secure the return 

10 of such fugitives; 

11 (3) the average length of time these cases have 

12 been outstanding; 

13 (4) how many of these cases have been resolved 

14 to the satisfaction of the United States; 

15 (5) factors that have been barriers to the reso16 lution of these cases; and 

17 (6) information on the number of United States 

18 citizens whose extradition has been sought by other 

19 countries during the past 5 years, a list of those 

20 countries seeking extradition, and the outcomes of 

21 those requests. 

22 (b) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 

23 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include 

24 a classified annex if necessary. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1744 IH

1 (c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro2 priate congressional committees’’ means— 

3 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

4 Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Rep5 resentatives; and 

6 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

7 the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate. 

Æ 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS