Board-Certified Criminal Defense Representation In Central Florida

Corrupt intentions must be present in bribery charges

by | Dec 13, 2019 | White Collar Crimes |

Bribery of a public or government official or employee is a criminal act. It is imperative that you act very carefully when you are working with these individuals. There are many different things that a person might do that would constitute a bribe.

Bribes come in a variety of forms, including property, favors, services, money and privileges. Even preferential treatment is considered a bribe. Giving these to a person in an effort to influence them to do things your way can be construed as bribery.

In order to face a criminal charge for bribery, there must be a corrupt element to the situation. There doesn’t have to be anything in writing that shows this. Instead, the prosecutor only has to show that the two parties agreed to exchange things of value in a way that’s corrupt. When this proof is gathered, it is possible that both people will face criminal charges related to the situation.

The thing of value that is offered in the bribe doesn’t have to be something tangible. Instead, it can be something like a promise to officially support a political candidate in exchange for the candidate taking a specific stance or voting a particular way if they win their desired office.

For people who are charged with bribery, combatting the prosecution’s claims becomes a priority. The goal is to introduce doubt into the mind of each juror so that they can’t convict beyond a reasonable doubt. This can be done by calling the prosecution’s claims into question. No matter what defense strategy you choose, remember that you need to be able to back it up.