Bribery is a white-collar crime that can lead to serious penalties if an individual is convicted. Therefore, it is important to have a better understanding of this crime.
Under Florida Statute 838.015, Bribery is defined as corruptly offering, promising, or giving a benefit to an individual in public office with the intent or purpose to influence how the person makes decisions or performs their public duty.
Public servants are not allowed to accept gifts from members of the public. Doing so may give the impression that the public servant is being influenced or ‘bought’. However, gifts that are reported are allowed. This way if anyone inquires, the information will be available to the public.
Since Bribery is a Second-Degree Felony in the state of Florida, if an individual is charged and convicted for Bribery, the punishment could be up to fifteen years in prison, fifteen years of probation, and a $10,000 fine.
One way of defending the crime of Bribery can be Generalized Expectation, which can be used if it is shown that there was no explicit quid pro quo (exchange of goods or services) for a donation to a public official.
In addition to that defense, a pretrial defense and a trial defense can be raised. If you or someone you know has been arrested or charged with Bribery, it is imperative to have an experienced criminal defense attorney on your side. Russell Spatz of the Spatz Law Firm, PL, in Miami, Florida, has the knowledge, skills, and decades of experience that it takes to handle complex white-collar crime matters. Give him a call at 305-442-0200 today to see how he can be of assistance.