Public Corruption

Public corruption in Miami may apply to a variety of illegal activities involving a person in a public office. Such cases are particularly delicate in nature and should be handled with the greatest caution. To perform their roles, elected officials and other public servants come under constant scrutiny. The very suggestion of impropriety will also lead to an investigation, which can lead to felony allegations in turn. Public corruption allegations, such as bribery, coercion, embezzlement, or misappropriation of money, may inflict untold harm to the reputation of a public officer. These accusations will forever tarnish a person's reputation regardless of how many years they have had to serve the public.

Public corruption is a federal offense investigated and prosecuted by several federal authorities such as the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Anti-Corruption Act of Florida extends to and carries heavy criminal sanctions on any federal official or director and public contractors.

Typical examples of public corruption include the following:

• Bribery: This is the act of supplying items with some kind of value in exchange for a favor. It is possible to accuse both the person giving the bribe and the beneficiary with this kind of crime. In return for a non-guilty verdict, two famous forms of bribes include giving cash to a police officer to escape a traffic ticket and offering money to an individual such as a judge.
• Extortion: It is extortion to use threats such as ransom to extract money, goods, or services.
• Illegal kickbacks: Bearing similarities to a bribe, in return for a favor, a kickback involves illegal, clandestine payment. Although a bribe usually favors the party who is doing the payment, the beneficiary of the payment benefits from a kickback. For example, when they collect cash from the firm that wins the deal, a public agent responsible for deciding the winning company in a contract bidding competition takes an illicit kickback.
• Embezzlement: Embezzlement is a crime that happens when an entity wrongly seizes personal property with which they have been entrusted (theft). This crime usually focuses on the stealing of money. Ultimately, "embezzlement" takes place regardless of whether the perpetrator holds or moves the stolen goods to a third party.

Public corruption may also constitute a willing and calculated effort to injure or intimidate public officials, their family, and all other persons kept in close circles for either or more of the following purposes:

• To sway or persuade the public presentation of the public officer.
• Forcing the public servant to alter their influence.

Whether it's the misappropriation of funds, fraud, bribery, extortion, embezzlement, etc., our firm represents clients charged with a wide array of public corruption charges. Prosecutors take these matters very seriously, often devoting significant resources to them. Often, these matters are deemed "high profile", and can garner significant media attention.

The news is rife with reports about elected officials suspected of unethical white-collar crime. Regrettably, even though claims against them are found to be without substance, many politicians suffer harm to their careers. It's crucial to get advice from a white-collar criminal defense attorney who has considerable experience fighting high corruption fraud cases, even though you only believe you might be under investigation.

The Law Offices of Mark Eiglarsh is fully committed to providing each and every one of our valued clients with an aggressive defense throughout all phases of the criminal process. The most prudent thing to do is call the Law Offices of Mark Eiglarsh to speak with an experienced South Florida criminal defense attorney.

The general information provided above about public corruption in Fort Lauderdale is meant for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for speaking directly with an attorney about the facts and circumstances of your case. Please call 954.500.0003 in Broward or 305.674.0003 in Miami to schedule a consultation with the Law Offices of Mark Eiglarsh.

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