Corruption charges can be very serious and can carry severe penalties, especially for public officials or corporate executives. The Department of Justice has shown in recent cases that it will take an aggressive stance in prosecuting bribery and corruption charges.
Corrupt activity can involve any act of offering, giving, receiving or soliciting anything of value in exchange for influencing the actions of an official in the discharge of their public or legal duties. This includes activities like bribery, influence peddling, embezzlement, kickbacks and fraud. It can also include nepotism, where an official favors his or her family members by giving them jobs or positions of power that they are not qualified for.
Corruption has a devastating effect on the rule of law, democracy and economic development. It undermines trust and misallocates resources, distorting competition and skewing the distribution of benefits and disadvantages in society. Combating corruption requires strong legal frameworks and transparent institutions. It also requires a culture of accountability and integrity at all levels of government, business, and civic life.
Recently, the “Varsity Blues” scandal made headlines when wealthy parents paid bribes to college coaches and administrators in order to secure their children’s admission to elite universities. In another example, a former parish president in Louisiana was charged with public corruption for allegedly using his position as an elected official to bribe a city council candidate into dropping out of the race in exchange for cash and political favors. Federal corruption charges are usually tied to other offenses, such as embezzlement, extortion or money laundering. When these types of charges are involved, it is important to have an attorney with the expertise in these areas to represent you in court.