18 U.S.C. § 1958 — Use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire

(a) This section makes it a federal crime to use interstate commerce to arrange a murder-for-hire. It applies to anyone who travels, or who causes another person (even the intended victim) to travel, across state or international lines. It also applies to anyone who uses, or causes another person to use, the mail or any interstate commerce facility. The person must intend for a murder to happen, in violation of state or federal law. The murder must be in exchange for money or something of value, whether already received or just promised. Conspiring to do this is also a crime. The punishment depends on the outcome. If no injury results, the punishment is a fine, up to ten years in prison, or both. If personal injury results, the punishment rises to a fine, up to twenty years, or both. If death results, the punishment is death, life imprisonment, or a fine of up to $250,000, or both a fine and imprisonment. (b) This subsection defines three terms used in this section and in section 1959. "Anything of pecuniary value" means money, a negotiable instrument, a business interest, or anything else whose main significance is economic gain. "Facility of interstate or foreign commerce" includes methods of transportation and communication. "State" includes any U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.

The record shows that this section was added by Public Law 98–473, title II, § 1002(a), enacted October 12, 1984, and originally codified as 18 U.S.C. § 1952A. The source credit indicates it was renumbered as § 1958 and amended by Public Law 100–690 in 1988, and subsequently amended by Public Law 101–647 (1990), Public Law 103–322 (1994), Public Law 104–294 (1996), and Public Law 108–458 (2004). The source credit lists six amendment actions in total, spanning two decades, though it does not itself describe the substance of each change. Public Law 98–473 is the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, a broad federal crime bill enacted during a period of heightened congressional attention to organized crime, drug trafficking, and violent crime more generally. The Act is generally understood to have expanded federal criminal jurisdiction in several areas, including sentencing reform and new substantive offenses. The creation of a federal murder-for-hire offense tied to use of interstate commerce facilities is commonly understood to reflect a legislative judgment that contract killings arranged across state lines, or by means of interstate communication or travel, warranted a specific federal criminal remedy rather than reliance solely on state homicide law. Beyond this general understanding of the 1984 Act's era and purpose, the record does not establish the specific legislative intent behind this particular section, nor does it document the reasons for each subsequent amendment listed in the source credit.