 [ I ] f any person or persons whatsoever , shall , on the high seas , commit the crime of piracy , as defined by the law of nations , and such offender or offenders shall afterwards be brought into , or found in , the United States , every such offender or offenders shall , upon conviction thereof , before the Circuit Court of the United States for the District into which he or they may be brought , or in which he or they shall be found , be punished with death . 
