Bribery is a crime in which all parties involved may be charged. Bribery refers to offering, giving, soliciting, or receiving any item of value as a means of influencing the actions of an individual holding a public office or a position with a legal duty. The person who offers a bribe may be charged, and the individual who receives a bribe may face charges as well.
Bribery is a second-degree crime in New Jersey. A conviction of bribery is punishable by 5 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000 unless the bribe is worth less than $200. In that case, it’s a third-degree crime punishable by 3 to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
New Jersey lawmakers voted on a bill that would broaden the state’s bribery statute by expanding the definition of a public servant to include “any person who is a candidate for public office … whose activities are subject to regulatory oversight by the Election Law Enforcement Commission, and any person elected who has not yet assumed office.” Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed the law in early 2022, calling for more specific language, and the legislation remained stalled as of this writing.
If you have been indicted on bribery charges in New Jersey or expect an indictment, you need to speak to an experienced and well-resourced white-collar crime defense attorney as soon as possible. The criminal defense team at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall is made up of former New Jersey prosecutors and public defenders who have handled bribery and other white-collar crime cases in courtrooms across the state.
Contact us at the first sign of an investigation or questions about your business or political practices to set up a free, no-obligation meeting with one of our experienced New Jersey white-collar crime attorneys. We are proud of our case results.
Potential Bribery Charges in New Jersey
In most cases, bribery charges are filed at the state level. If there are multiple people and/or large amounts of money involved, federal officials may bring federal bribery charges. If a series of indictments allege multiple people have colluded, the government may add RICO charges to a bribery case under the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act.
Some recent bribery cases include:
- NCAA Bribery. In September 2017, U.S. federal law enforcement officials arrested 10 individuals, including four Division I NCAA college basketball coaches, for alleged involvement in a wide-ranging corruption and bribery scheme. Each defendant faced a variety of conspiracy, bribery, fraud, and corruption charges. An investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI revealed that numerous basketball coaches at NCAA Division I universities received bribes and agreed to receive bribes in exchange for agreeing to exert influence over student-athletes under their control to retain the services of the bribe payers once they entered the NBA. In the end, three college coaches were sentenced to three months in prison, and another received probation, each for accepting cash bribes.
- U.S. Navy Bribery. A Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” who was convicted of orchestrating one of the largest bribery scandals in U.S. military history was arrested in Venezuela in September 2022 after fleeing the country. Leonard Francis pleaded guilty in 2015 to offering prostitution services, luxury hotels, cigars, gourmet meals, and more than $500,000 in bribes to Navy officials and others to help his Singapore-based ship servicing company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. or GDMA. Prosecutors said the company overcharged the Navy by at least $35 million for servicing ships, many of which were routed to ports he controlled in the Pacific.
- College Admissions Bribery. Federal prosecutors charged more than 50 people in a scheme involving bribing college athletic coaches to recruit students regardless of their athletic ability and bribing entrance exam administrators to falsify ACT and SAT answers. Prosecutors say parents paid about $25 million to get their students into elite schools like the University of Southern California, Stanford, and Yale. Dozens of wealthy people, including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, as well as CEOs, high-profile lawyers, and college coaches were charged as part of the scheme led by William “Rick” Singer, a so-called college-prep professional who ran a sham charity that was found to be at the center of the scandal. He has pleaded guilty. At least 40 people involved in the scandal received active sentences.
- Drug Company Bribery. In 2012, Pfizer Inc. agreed to pay $60.2 million to settle a U.S. government probe of the drugmaker’s use of illegal payments to win business overseas. A year earlier, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $70 million to settle U.S. charges that it paid bribes and kickbacks to win business in Greece, Iraq, Poland, and Romania, the first such settlement by a big drug company. The 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act makes it illegal for U.S. companies and foreign firms whose stock is traded in the United States to bribe government officials in foreign countries.
- Sexual Bribery. Christopher Collare, a former police detective and FBI task force officer, was sentenced in March 2022 to 75 months in prison for bribery, drug distribution, and making false statements. Prosecutors said Collare used his official position to obtain sex from two women in exchange for agreeing to take action in prosecutions. Specifically, in 2015, Collare agreed to accept sex or money in exchange for not appearing at an evidentiary hearing so that a criminal charge would be dismissed. In 2018, Collare agreed to accept sexual favors in exchange for taking steps to help reduce a potential sentence.
- Commercial Bribery. Federal charges filed in August 2022 allege that Danny Sing conspired with other individuals to evade federal income taxes for approximately $1.6 million in wages paid by Global Staffing and to fail to withhold and remit approximately $1.36 million in federal employment taxes to the IRS. Den Lam and Danny Sing allegedly paid Global Staffing employees in cash, paid themselves in cash, and cashed all checks received from Global Staffing’s client, to conceal the income and wages from the IRS. Sing also was charged with allegedly providing in excess of $400,000 in bribes and kickbacks to managers and supervisors at Global Staffing’s client, to obtain business for Global Staffing. The maximum penalty under federal law for each tax offense is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The maximum penalty under federal law for the commercial bribery offense is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.
Contact Our New Jersey Bribery Defense Lawyers Today
You should act quickly to speak to a New Jersey bribery defense attorney at the first sign that you are under investigation for bribery. An indictment on bribery charges can lead to prison time and fines. At the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, our N.J. criminal defense lawyers have the skills and resources to fight for the best possible outcome for you.
Call us at (877) 540-8301 or schedule a free consultation online with our respected New Jersey white-collar crime lawyers now.
