Actual statute against intentionally committing domestic crimes abroad

Factual Questions
1

Back in high school (Bush I/ Clinton era) we were taught that it’s illegal in the US to travel to a foreign country for the purpose of comitting acts that were illegal here in the US.

Is there an actual law to this effect? If so, is it part of the USC or buried in some court ruling?

2

I believe there are laws forbidding US citizens from engaging in financial transactions related to Cuba (basically, the “no Cuban cigars” law), and having sex with children, even if such activities are legal in the jurisdiction where it takes place. I’m not aware of any broad all-encompassing law that would allow US Federal or State authorities to punish a US citizen for anything and everything that they did abroad that would have been a crime had it been committed domestically.

3

[ul]
[li]Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act[/li][li]Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (Proposed)[/li][li]Citizen’s Guide to U.S. Federal Law on the Extraterritorial Sexual Exploitation of Children[/li][/ul]

4

Can somebody summarize for those of us who aren’t really that interested.

5

The Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Acts are intended to punish government and military contractors who commit crimes overseas. This is intended to prevent people from going overseas on a military mission, committing a crime, and then claiming the law doesn’t apply to them because they are not military. Essentially, as long as you are under US control on a US installation, you will still play by US rules.

The Extraterritorial Sexual Exploitation of Children law is exactly what it sounds like. You cannot go to a foreign country, doink a child, and then come home and say, “Well, it wasn’t illegal in Doinkmenistan…” Likewise, you may not organize a trip to Doinkmenistan specifically to take advantage of lax Doinkmenistani child sex laws.

6

There is also the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act which prevents Americans and American based companies from bribing foreign officials, even in countries where bribery is the norm. WalMart was hit recently for doing this in Mexico, for example.