I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2820 
To direct the Secretary of State to establish within the Department of 
State the Office of Anti-Corruption relating to Illicit Russian Financial 
Activities in Europe, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 7, 2017 
Mr. SUOZZI (for himself, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. MEEKS, and Mr. HILL) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs, and in addition to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of State to establish within the 
Department of State the Office of Anti-Corruption relat-
ing to Illicit Russian Financial Activities in Europe, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fight Russian Corrup-
tion Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Russian Federation uses corruption as 
a strategic tool to erode democratic governance from 
within and discredit the liberal democratic system, 
thereby strengthening Russia’s sphere of influence. 
(2) Russia’s ultimate goal is to dissolve the 
transatlantic union by capitalizing on and exacer-
bating existing tensions within European countries. 
(3) In 2016, the Center for Strategic and Inter-
national Studies (CSIS) and the Centre for the 
Study of Democracy concluded that Russia has cul-
tivated an opaque network of patronage across the 
region that it uses to influence and direct decision- 
making. Russia seeks to gain influence over if not 
control of critical state institutions, bodies, and the 
economy and uses this influence to shape national 
policies and decisions. 
(4) Central and Eastern European leaders, in-
cluding those from Romania, the Czech Republic, 
Latvia, and Poland, have warned that Russia en-
gages in economic warfare by using politically moti-
vated investments to advance its agenda, and seeks 
to challenge the transatlantic orientation of Central 
and Eastern Europe. 
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(5) While countries along Russia’s border, espe-
cially the Baltic countries, Ukraine, and Georgia, are 
under threat from Moscow’s malign influence and 
military aggression, corruption is also part of Rus-
sia’s hybrid warfare strategy to use direct and indi-
rect action to coerce, destabilize and exercise malign 
influence over other countries. 
(6) Much like a virus, malign Russian-fueled 
corruption inconspicuously penetrates a country 
through what appears to be a host of legitimate fi-
nancial transactions. 
(7) According to CSIS, the corruption, often 
through opaque financial transactions, infects var-
ious strategic sectors of host economies, particularly 
energy, media, and financial sectors. Over time, the 
host countries’ institutions become compromised and 
can no longer self-police or resist Russian influence, 
thereby allowing Russian control over the govern-
ment. 
(8) In France, Austria, Germany, and the 
United Kingdom, Russia directly supports entities 
that feed directly off lack of confidence and trust in 
democratic systems, which enhances the popularity 
of extreme parties. 
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(9) The United States intelligence community 
concluded that Russia deployed similar tactics in the 
2016 United States elections in order to erode public 
confidence and trust in the United States political 
system. 
(10) This strategy exploits the inherent open-
ness and vulnerabilities within Western capitalist 
systems. To combat it, the United States must sup-
port efforts of foreign partner countries to inves-
tigate corruption and strengthen fiscal transparency. 
(11) Only through strengthening Western gov-
ernance and institutions will the United States and 
its partners thwart Russian tactics of corruption and 
exploitation and prevent Russia’s virus-like corrup-
tion from eroding democracy in the United States. 
SEC. 3. OFFICE OF ANTI-CORRUPTION RELATING TO IL-
LICIT RUSSIAN FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES IN EU-
ROPE. 
Title I of the State Department Basic Authorities Act 
of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new section: 
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‘‘SEC. 64. OFFICE OF ANTI-CORRUPTION RELATING TO IL-
LICIT RUSSIAN FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES IN EU-
ROPE. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State shall 
establish within the Department of State the Office of 
Anti-Corruption relating to Illicit Russian Financial Ac-
tivities in Europe (in this section referred to as the ‘Of-
fice’). 
‘‘(b) HEAD OF OFFICE.—The head of the Office shall 
be the Director of Anti-Corruption relating to Illicit Rus-
sian Financial Activities in Europe (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘Director’). The Director shall be ap-
pointed by Secretary, in consultation with the Assistant 
Secretary of State for European Affairs. 
‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Office shall carry out the fol-
lowing functions: 
‘‘(1) In coordination with the intelligence com-
munity, analyze financial networks of the Russian 
Federation that operate in European countries relat-
ing to investments in the real estate, energy, media, 
infrastructure, philanthropy, civil society, sports, 
nongovernmental organization, and other sectors. 
‘‘(2) In coordination with the Secretary of the 
Treasury, train United States liaison officers to 
serve in key United States diplomatic and consular 
posts in European countries to cooperate with for-
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