A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to pay rewards 
under an asset recovery rewards program to help identify 
and recover stolen assets linked to foreign government 
corruption and the proceeds of such corruption hidden 
behind complex financial structures in the United States 
and abroad. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
The Act may be cited as the ‘‘Kleptocracy Asset Recov-
ery Rewards Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR), 
a World Bank and United Nations anti-money-laun-
dering effort, estimates that between $20 billion to 
$40 billion has been lost to developing countries an-
nually through corruption. 
(2) In 2014, more than $480 million in corrup-
tion proceeds hidden in bank accounts around the 
world by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and 
his co-conspirators was forfeited through efforts by the 
Department of Justice. 
(3) In 2010, the Department of Justice estab-
lished the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, to 
work in partnership with Federal law enforcement 
agencies to forfeit the proceeds of foreign official cor-
ruption and, where appropriate, return those proceeds 
to benefit the people harmed by these acts of corrup-
tion and abuse of office. 
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(4) Of the $20 billion to $40 billion lost by devel-
oping countries annually through corruption, only 
about $5 billion has been repatriated in the last 15 
years. 
(5) Governments weakened by corruption and 
loss of assets due to corruption have fewer resources 
to devote to the fight against terrorism and fewer re-
sources to devote to building strong financial, law en-
forcement, and judicial institutions to aid in the fight 
against the financing of terrorism. 
(6) The United States has a number of effective 
programs to reward individuals who provide valuable 
information that assist in the identification, arrest, 
and conviction of criminal actors and their associ-
ates, as well as seizure and forfeiture of illicitly de-
rived assets and the proceeds of criminal activity. 
(7) The Internal Revenue Service has the Whis-
tleblower Program, which pays awards to individuals 
who provide specific and credible information to the 
IRS if the information results in the collection of 
taxes, penalties, interest or other amounts from non-
compliant taxpayers. 
(8) The Department of State administers re-
wards programs on international terrorism, illegal 
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narcotics, and transnational organized crime with the 
goal of bringing perpetrators to justice. 
(9) None of these existing rewards programs spe-
cifically provide monetary incentives for identifying 
and recovering stolen assets linked solely to foreign 
government corruption, as opposed to criminal pros-
ecutions or civil or criminal forfeitures. 
(10) The recovery of stolen assets linked to for-
eign government corruption and the proceeds of such 
corruption may not always involve a BSA violation 
or lead to a forfeiture action. In such cases there 
would be no ability to pay rewards under existing 
Treasury Department authorities. 
(11) Foreign government corruption can take 
many forms but typically entails government officials 
stealing, misappropriating, or illegally diverting as-
sets and funds from their own government treasuries 
to enrich their personal wealth directly through em-
bezzlement or bribes to allow government resources to 
be expended in ways that are not transparent and 
may not either be necessary or be the result of open 
competition. Corruption also includes situations 
where public officials take bribes to allow government 
resources to be expended in ways which are not trans-
parent and may not be necessary or the result of open 
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competition. These corrupt officials often use the 
United States and international financial system to 
hide their stolen assets and the proceeds of corruption. 
(12) The individuals who come forward to expose 
foreign governmental corruption and kleptocracy often 
do so at great risk to their own safety and that of 
their immediate family members and face retaliation 
from persons who exercise foreign political or govern-
mental power. Monetary rewards can provide a nec-
essary incentive to expose such corruption and pro-
vide a financial means to provide for their well-being 
and avoid retribution. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that a Department of the Treasury stolen asset recovery re-
wards program to help identify and recover stolen assets 
linked to foreign government corruption and the proceeds 
of such corruption hidden behind complex financial struc-
tures is needed in order to— 
(1) intensify the global fight against corruption; 
and 
(2) serve United States efforts to identify and re-
cover such stolen assets, forfeit proceeds of such cor-
ruption, and, where appropriate and feasible, return 
the stolen assets or proceeds thereof to the country 
harmed by the acts of corruption. 
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SEC. 3. IN GENERAL. 
(a) DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY KLEPTOCRACY 
ASSET RECOVERY REWARDS PROGRAM.—Chapter 97 of 
title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘§ 9706. Department of the Treasury Kleptocracy Asset 
Recovery Rewards Program 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 
Department of the Treasury a program to be known 
as the ‘Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program’ 
for the payment of rewards to carry out the purposes 
of this section. 
‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—The rewards program shall be 
designed to support U.S. Government programs and 
investigations aimed at restraining, seizing, for-
feiting, or repatriating stolen assets linked to foreign 
government corruption and the proceeds of such cor-
ruption. 
‘‘(3) IMPLEMENTATION.—The rewards program 
shall be administered by, and at the sole discretion of, 
the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation, as ap-
propriate, with the Secretary of State, the Attorney 
General, and the heads of such other departments and 
agencies as the Secretary may find appropriate. 
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‘‘(b) REWARDS AUTHORIZED.—In the sole discretion 
of the Secretary and in consultation, as appropriate, with 
the heads of other relevant Federal departments or agencies, 
the Secretary may pay a reward to any individual, or to 
any nonprofit humanitarian organization designated by 
such individual, if that individual furnishes information 
leading to— 
‘‘(1) the restraining or seizure of stolen assets in 
an account at a U.S. financial institution (including 
a U.S. branch of a foreign financial institution), that 
come within the United States, or that come within 
the possession or control of any United States person; 
‘‘(2) the forfeiture of stolen assets in an account 
at a U.S. financial institution (including a U.S. 
branch of a foreign financial institution), that come 
within the United States, or that come within the 
possession or control of any United States person; or 
‘‘(3) where appropriate, the repatriation of sto-
len assets in an account at a U.S. financial institu-
tion (including a U.S. branch of a foreign financial 
institution), that come within the United States, or 
that come within the possession or control of any 
United States person. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION.— 
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‘‘(1) PROCEDURES.—To ensure that the payment 
of rewards pursuant to this section does not duplicate 
or interfere with any other payment authorized by the 
Department of Justice or other Federal law enforce-
ment agencies for the obtaining of information or 
other evidence, the Secretary of the Treasury, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of State, the Attorney 
General, and the heads of such other agencies as the 
Secretary may find appropriate, shall establish proce-
dures for the offering, administration, and payment 
of rewards under this section, including procedures 
for— 
‘‘(A) identifying actions with respect to 
which rewards will be offered; 
‘‘(B) the receipt and analysis of data; and 
‘‘(C) the payment of rewards and approval 
of such payments. 
‘‘(2) PRIOR APPROVAL OF THE ATTORNEY GEN-
ERAL
REQUIRED.—Before making a reward under 
this section in a matter over which there is Federal 
criminal jurisdiction, the Secretary of the Treasury 
shall obtain the written concurrence of the Attorney 
General. 
‘‘(d) PAYMENT OF REWARDS.— 
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‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 
the purpose of paying rewards pursuant to this sec-
tion, there is authorized to be appropriated $450,000 
for fiscal year 2020. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION
ON
ANNUAL
PAYMENTS.—Ex-
cept as provided under paragraph (3), the total 
amount of rewards paid pursuant to this section may 
not exceed $25,000,000 in any calendar year. 
‘‘(3) PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY.—The President 
may waive the limitation under paragraph (2) with 
respect to a calendar year if the President provides 
written notice of such waiver to the appropriate com-
mittees of the Congress at least 30 days before any 
payment in excess of such limitation is made pursu-
ant to this section. 
‘‘(4) PAYMENT FROM STOLEN ASSET AMOUNTS.— 
In paying any reward under this section with respect 
to information furnished by an individual, the Sec-
retary shall, to the extent possible, make such pay-
ments using the stolen assets recovered based on such 
information before using appropriated funds author-
ized under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(e) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION.—No award 
may be made under this section based on information 
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submitted to the Secretary unless such information is 
submitted under penalty of perjury. 
‘‘(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—No reward paid under 
this section may exceed $5,000,000, unless the Sec-
retary— 
‘‘(A) personally authorizes such greater 
amount in writing; 
‘‘(B) determines that offer or payment of a 
reward of a greater amount is necessary due to 
the exceptional nature of the case; and 
‘‘(C) notifies the appropriate committees of 
the Congress of such determination. 
‘‘(3) APPROVAL.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—No reward amount 
may be paid under this section without the writ-
ten approval of the Secretary. 
‘‘(B) DELEGATION.—The Secretary may not 
delegate the approval required under subpara-
graph (A) to anyone other than an Under Sec-
retary of the Department of the Treasury. 
‘‘(4) PROTECTION MEASURES.—If the Secretary 
determines that the identity of the recipient of a re-
ward or of the members of the recipient’s immediate 
family must be protected, the Secretary shall take 
such measures in connection with the payment of the 
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reward as the Secretary considers necessary to effect 
such protection. 
‘‘(5) FORMS OF REWARD PAYMENT.—The Sec-
retary may make a reward under this section in the 
form of a monetary payment. 
‘‘(f) INELIGIBILITY, REDUCTION IN, OR DENIAL OF RE-
WARD.— 
‘‘(1) OFFICER AND EMPLOYEES.—An officer or 
employee of any entity of Federal, State, or local gov-
ernment or of a foreign government who, while in the 
performance of official duties, furnishes information 
described under subsection (b) shall not be eligible for 
a reward under this section. 
‘‘(2) PARTICIPATING INDIVIDUALS.—If the claim 
for a reward is brought by an individual who the Sec-
retary has a reasonable basis to believe knowingly 
planned, initiated, directly participated in, or facili-
tated the actions that led to assets of a foreign state 
or governmental entity being stolen, misappropriated, 
or illegally diverted or to the payment of bribes or 
other foreign governmental corruption, the Secretary 
shall appropriately reduce, and may deny, such 
award. If such individual is convicted of criminal 
conduct arising from the role described in the pre-
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‘‘(2) EXCEPTION
FOR
ONGOING
INVESTIGA-
TIONS.—The report issued under paragraph (1) shall 
not include information related to ongoing investiga-
tions. 
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF THE CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘appropriate committees of the 
Congress’ means the Committee on Financial Services 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate. 
‘‘(2) FINANCIAL
ASSET.—The term ‘financial 
asset’ means any funds, investments, or ownership in-
terests, as defined by the Secretary, that on or after 
the date of the enactment of this section come within 
the United States or that come within the possession 
or control of any United States person. 
‘‘(3) FOREIGN GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION.—The 
term ‘foreign government corruption’ includes bribery 
of a foreign public official, or the misappropriation, 
theft, or embezzlement of public funds or property by 
or for the benefit of a foreign public official. 
‘‘(4) FOREIGN PUBLIC OFFICIAL.—The term ‘for-
eign public official’ includes any person who occupies 
a public office by virtue of having been elected, ap-
pointed, or employed, including any military, civil-
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ian, special, honorary, temporary, or uncompensated 
official. 
‘‘(5) IMMEDIATE
FAMILY
MEMBER.—The term 
‘immediate family member’, with respect to an indi-
vidual, has the meaning given the term ‘member of 
the immediate family’ under section 36(k) of the State 
Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 
2708(k)). 
‘‘(6) REWARDS
PROGRAM.—The term ‘rewards 
program’ means the program established in subsection 
(a)(1) of this section. 
‘‘(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary of the Treasury. 
‘‘(8) STOLEN ASSETS.—The term ‘stolen assets’ 
means financial assets within the jurisdiction of the 
United States, constituting, derived from, or traceable 
to, any proceeds obtained directly or indirectly from 
foreign government corruption.’’. 
(b) REPORT
ON DISPOSITION
OF RECOVERED AS-
SETS.—Within 360 days of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Treasury shall issue a report to the appro-
priate committees of Congress (as defined under section 
9706(h) of title 31, United States Code) describing policy 
choices and recommendations for disposition of stolen assets 
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recovered pursuant to section 9706 of title 31, United States 
Code. 
(c) TABLE OF CONTENTS AMENDMENT.—The table of 
contents for chapter 97 of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘9706. Department of the Treasury Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Pro-
gram.’’. 
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Union Calendar No. 38 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 389 
[Report No. 116–60] 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to pay 
rewards under an asset recovery rewards pro-
gram to help identify and recover stolen assets 
linked to foreign government corruption and the 
proceeds of such corruption hidden behind com-
plex financial structures in the United States and 
abroad. 
MAY 14, 2019 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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