Schmitt, Padilla Bill Targets Copper Theft as Federal Crime

Eric Schmitt joins Democratic colleague on bill to make copper theft a federal crime

Existing laws protect government facilities, but new law would cover private facilities that provide telecom, information services.

Schmitt, Padilla Bill Targets Copper Theft as Federal Crime

A downtown St. Louis courthouse went without phone service for nearly a week after thieves cut copper lines buried beneath the streets, and now Missouri's junior U.S. senator wants that kind of damage prosecuted as a federal crime. Sen. Eric Schmitt has joined Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat from California, on legislation that would make the theft, vandalism or destruction of copper, fiber and coaxial telecommunications cables a federal criminal …