FEPA’s First Test: Protecting American Companies Returning to Venezuela

The Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA), signed into law in December 2023, makes it a crime for foreign officials to demand bribes from U.S. companies and Americans, closing a loophole that previously only penalized U.S. companies under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The law presents an opportunity to reshape how U.S. companies operate in corruption-prone environments like Venezuela, which reopened its oil sector to American companies following a January 2026 U.S. military intervention.