18 USC 970 – Protection of property occupied by foreign governments
(a) Whoever willfully injures, damages, or destroys, or attempts to injure, damage, or destroy, any property, real or personal, located within the United States and belonging to or utilized or occupied by any foreign government or international organization, by a foreign official or official guest, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Terms Used In 18 USC 970
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- foreign government: as used in this title except in sections 112, 878, 970, 1116, and 1201, includes any government, faction, or body of insurgents within a country with which the United States is at peace, irrespective of recognition by the United States. See 18 USC 11
- organization: means a person other than an individual. See 18 USC 18
- United States: as used in this title in a territorial sense, includes all places and waters, continental or insular, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, except the Canal Zone. See 18 USC 5
- whoever: include corporations, companies, associations, firms, partnerships, societies, and joint stock companies, as well as individuals. See 1 USC 1
(b) Whoever, willfully with intent to intimidate, coerce, threaten, or harass—
(1) forcibly thrusts any part of himself or any object within or upon that portion of any building or premises located within the United States, which portion is used or occupied for official business or for diplomatic, consular, or residential purposes by—
(A) a foreign government, including such use as a mission to an international organization;
(B) an international organization;
(C) a foreign official; or
(D) an official guest; or
(2) refuses to depart from such portion of such building or premises after a request—
(A) by an employee of a foreign government or of an international organization, if such employee is authorized to make such request by the senior official of the unit of such government or organization which occupies such portion of such building or premises;
(B) by a foreign official or any member of the foreign official’s staff who is authorized by the foreign official to make such request;
(C) by an official guest or any member of the official guest’s staff who is authorized by the official guest to make such request; or
(D) by any person present having law enforcement powers;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
(c) For the purpose of this section “foreign government”, “foreign official”, “international organization”, and “official guest” shall have the same meanings as those provided in section 1116(b) of this title.