A bribe is any consideration (usually money) offered to someone in exchange for the person doing something illegal or unethical. This is a serious crime in most countries around the world and can carry severe criminal penalties.
Corruption charges are typically accompanied by other offences such as theft, fraud, and money laundering. This is because it is very difficult to prove corruption without the cooperation or assistance of others, which is often what a wide-ranging criminal investigation into an alleged corruption network will uncover.
Federal bribery and corruption charges are serious offenses that can have major legal ramifications. As such, the federal government aggressively prosecutes individuals and businesses that are accused of committing these crimes.
A bribery or corruption case is usually investigated by an agency within the government and prosecuted in court using state or federal laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and related anti-corruption statutes. The prosecution will have to meet a high criminal standard of proof, known as the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard, in order to secure a conviction.
In recent times, it is very common for cases involving allegations of public corruption to receive widespread and sustained media coverage. These are usually highly sensitive cases that involve a large amount of money and the involvement of powerful politicians or business people. It is also not uncommon for these investigations to use investigative techniques that originated in street crime cases, such as the use of informants and recording of conversations.