OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Collin Duel, R-Guthrie, on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill in committee that would criminalize a straw purchase of property on behalf of a foreign national.
House Bill 3495 would make it unlawful to knowingly and willfully purchase or attempt to obtain any property on behalf of a foreign national. Punishment would be a felony not to exceed two years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000 or both. The measure defines “straw person or party” as a third party who is put up in name only to take part in a transaction.
“This law will help stop organized crime and cartel activity that has allowed a free-flow of human, drug and sex trafficking in and through Oklahoma,” Duel said. “We must secure ourselves from hostile foreign interests that do not have our best interests, or even our survival, at heart.”
Duel pointed to the number of drug busts conducted on illegal marijuana grows in the state – and the consequent number of people arrested that were in the country illegally – as evidence of the problem of straw purchase. He also notes that Interstates 35 and 40, which crisscross the state and the nation, have long served as major corridors for human and drug smuggling. Shutting down the straw purchase loophole, will help stop the amount of illegal activity along these highways and throughout the state.
“In talking with law enforcement from across Oklahoma, it’s evident this has become a growing problem,” Duel said. “We must have the ability to prosecute and punish those who would seek to hide behind gaps in the law.”
The bill passed the Criminal Judiciary Committee on a vote of 5-0. It now is eligible for consideration in the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight.
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Collin Duel, a Republican, represents House District 31 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes parts of Logan and Oklahoma counties.
