Sec 165 of the California Penal Code defines bribery as the trade of a public official’s vote in exchange for money or something of value. This law attaches liability to the offeror of the bribe and the public official receiving the bribe.
While bribery is a general term, this provision makes the act of bribery a felony offense under the following circumstances:
a) Any person that gives an offer to a supervisor or any supervisor receiving or offering to agree to receive;
b) An item of value with a corrupt intent;
c) To influence the supervisor’s action in an official matter;
The coverage of Sec 165 includes members of board of supervisors, council members, county or city board of trustees members and public corporation members.
For convictions under this offense, the imposable penalties include imprisonment, forfeiture of office and disqualification from holding future office.
The crime of bribery of county supervisors or public corporations is a serious offense in California. Should you be or know anyone facing any of these charges, do reach out to the lawyers at the Law Offices of Ramiro J. Lluis for a free consultation today.
