Bribery

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Bribery

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In legal terms, bribery is described as the act of accepting or offering something of value, such as money, in return for a certain action or influence on a government official. Bribes can take many different forms, but are always intended to influence or alter the action of various individuals. Bribery goes hand in hand with both political and public corruption. According to law, both the recipient of the bribe and the provider of the bribe can be charged with the offense of bribery. A bribe may be a gift given to someone in exchange for certain action or influence. Other forms of bribes may include property, various goods, privileges, services and favors. However, the most common bribes are given as currency.

The different levels and types of bribery are clearly defined under United States law. The first type is the bribery by or of a public official, who is someone who acts on behalf of the United States, such as a juror or a senator. The intention of the bribe is to influence the action of the official in the discharge of their public or legal duties – in other words, a bribe might be given to a senator to encourage them to vote a certain way on a bill or to a juror in order to solicit a particular outcome in a trial. The next type of a bribe is by/of a witness. A witness will receive a fine of three times the amount of the bribe and/or up to 15 years in prison if they accept a bribe for them to alter a testimony. The briber themselves will face a fine and up to two years in prison. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 1977 makes it unlawful for a United States citizen, as well as certain foreign issuers of securities, to pay a foreign official in order to obtain business with any person. In 1998 a provision to the Act was added which applies to any foreign firms or foreign-born persons who take any act in furtherance of a corrupt payment while in the United States.

Others may be found guilty of taking bribes as well. If a bank representative accepts a bribe of anything more than $1,000, he or she can be imprisoned for no longer than 30 years, and fined three times the value of the bribe. Sporting officials are also sometimes offered bribes to "fix" a sporting event to ensure an outcome that the briber desires. If a referee or other sporting official is convicted or bribery, the punishment can consist of a fine and imprisonment of no longer than five years.

There are many bribery-related offenses with which an individual may be charged. Some of these include government fraud, extortion, kickbacks, procurement fraud, the health care industry and employee benefits or pension plans, and many others. Each of these offenses will result in punishment or sentencing that reflects the severity of the actual crime that has been committed.