I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1748 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to enhance the investigation and 
prosecution of mortgage fraud and financial institution fraud, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 26, 2009 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. DELAHUNT, Ms. JACK-
SON-LEE of Texas, and Mrs. BIGGERT) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition 
to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and Financial 
Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to enhance the 
investigation and prosecution of mortgage fraud and fi-
nancial institution fraud, 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 Fraud Act of 
2009’’. 
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SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO IMPROVE MORTGAGE, SECURI-
TIES, AND FINANCIAL FRAUD RECOVERY AND 
ENFORCEMENT. 
(a) 
DEFINITION
OF
FINANCIAL
INSTITUTION 
AMENDED TO INCLUDE MORTGAGE LENDING BUSI-
NESS.—Section 20 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘or’’ after the 
semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and 
inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by inserting at the end the following: 
‘‘(10) a mortgage lending business or any per-
son or entity that makes in whole or in part a feder-
ally related mortgage loan as defined in section 3 of 
the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 
1974.’’. 
(b) MORTGAGE LENDING BUSINESS DEFINED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 
26 the following: 
‘‘§ 27. Mortgage lending business defined 
‘‘In this title, the term ‘mortgage lending business’ 
means an organization which finances or refinances any 
debt secured by an interest in real estate, including private 
mortgage companies and any subsidiaries of such organi-
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zations, and whose activities affect interstate or foreign 
commerce.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of chapter 1 of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘27. Mortgage lending business defined.’’. 
(c) FALSE STATEMENTS
IN MORTGAGE APPLICA-
TIONS AMENDED TO INCLUDE FALSE STATEMENTS BY 
MORTGAGE BROKERS AND AGENTS OF MORTGAGE LEND-
ING BUSINESSES.—Section 1014 of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ after ‘‘the International 
Banking Act of 1978),’’; and 
(2) by inserting after ‘‘section 25(a) of the Fed-
eral Reserve Act’’ the following: ‘‘or a mortgage 
lending business, or any person or entity that makes 
in whole or in part a federally related mortgage loan 
as defined in section 3 of the Real Estate Settlement 
Procedures Act of 1974’’. 
(d) MAJOR FRAUD AGAINST
THE GOVERNMENT 
AMENDED TO INCLUDE ECONOMIC RELIEF AND TROU-
BLED ASSET RELIEF PROGRAM FUNDS.—Section 1031(a) 
of title 18, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘in any procurement’’ and in-
serting ‘‘in any grant, contract, subcontract, sub-
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sidy, loan, guarantee, insurance or other form of 
Federal assistance, including through the Troubled 
Assets Relief Program, an economic stimulus, recov-
ery or rescue plan provided by the Government, or 
the Government’s purchase of any preferred stock in 
a company, or any procurement’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘the contract, subcontract’’ and 
inserting ‘‘such grant, contract, subcontract, sub-
sidy, loan, guarantee, insurance or other form of 
Federal assistance’’. 
(e) SECURITIES FRAUD AMENDED TO INCLUDE 
FRAUD INVOLVING OPTIONS AND FUTURES IN COMMOD-
ITIES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 1348 of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in the caption, by inserting ‘‘and 
commodities’’ after ‘‘Securities’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘any 
commodity for future delivery, or any option on 
a commodity for future delivery, or’’ after ‘‘any 
person in connection with’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘any 
commodity for future delivery, or any option on 
a commodity for future delivery, or’’ after ‘‘in 
connection with the purchase or sale of’’. 
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(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The item relating 
to section 1348 in the table of sections at the begin-
ning of chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code, 
is amended by inserting ‘‘and commodities’’ after 
‘‘Securities’’. 
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR INVESTIGATORS AND 
PROSECUTORS FOR MORTGAGE FRAUD, SE-
CURITIES FRAUD, AND OTHER CASES IN-
VOLVING FEDERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized to 
be appropriated to the Attorney General, to remain 
available until expended, $165,000,000 for each of 
the fiscal years 2010 and 2011, for the purposes of 
investigations, prosecutions, and civil proceedings in-
volving Federal assistance programs and financial 
institutions, including financial institutions to which 
this Act and amendments made by this Act apply. 
(2) ALLOCATIONS.—With respect to fiscal years 
2010 and 2011, the amount authorized to be appro-
priated under paragraph (1) shall be allocated as 
follows: 
(A) Federal Bureau of Investigation: 
$75,000,000 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2010 
and 
$65,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 
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(B) The offices of the United States Attor-
neys: $50,000,000. 
(C) The criminal division of the Depart-
ment of Justice: $20,000,000. 
(D) The civil division of the Department of 
Justice: $15,000,000. 
(E) The tax division of the Department of 
Justice: $5,000,000. 
(b) ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE POSTAL 
INSPECTION SERVICE.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Postal Inspection Service of the United 
States Postal Service, $30,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2010 and 2011 for investigations involving Federal 
assistance programs and financial institutions, including 
financial institutions to which this Act and amendments 
made by this Act apply. 
(c) ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE INSPEC-
TOR GENERAL FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 
URBAN DEVELOPMENT.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Inspector General of the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, $30,000,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011 for investigations involv-
ing Federal assistance programs and financial institutions, 
including financial institutions to which this Act and 
amendments made by this Act apply. 
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(d) ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE UNITED 
STATES SECRET SERVICE.—There is authorized to be ap-
propriated to the United States Secret Service of the De-
partment of Homeland Security, $20,000,000 for each of 
the fiscal years 2010 and 2011 for investigations involving 
Federal assistance programs and financial institutions, in-
cluding financial institutions to which this Act and amend-
ments made by this Act apply. 
(e) USE OF FUNDS.—The funds authorized to be ap-
propriated under subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) shall 
be limited to cover the costs of each listed agency or de-
partment for investigating possible criminal, civil, or ad-
ministrative violations and for prosecuting criminal, civil, 
or administrative proceedings involving financial crimes 
and crimes against Federal assistance programs, including 
mortgage fraud, securities fraud, financial institution 
fraud, and other frauds related to Federal assistance and 
relief programs. 
(f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Following the final ex-
penditure of all funds appropriated under this section that 
were authorized by subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) the 
Attorney General, in consultation with the United States 
Postal Inspection Service, the Inspector General for the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the 
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Secretary of Homeland Security, shall submit a joint re-
port to Congress identifying— 
(1) the amounts expended under subsections 
(a), (b), (c), and (d) and a certification of compli-
ance with the requirements listed in subsection (e); 
and 
(2) the amounts recovered as a result of crimi-
nal or civil restitution, fines, penalties, and other 
monetary recoveries resulting from criminal, civil, or 
administrative proceedings and settlements under-
taken with funds authorized by this Act. 
Æ 
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