If you initiate a bribe or accept a bribe in the state of Texas, you may be facing some serious criminal consequences. Read on to discover the different types of bribery and how a seasoned Kaufman County, Texas criminal defense lawyer at Harrell & Paulson, LLP can help you fight back on any accusations placed against you.
What Are the Different Types of Bribery in The State of Texas?
First of all, bribery is considered when an individual offers or gives money or otherwise something of value in exchange for another individual’s agreement to use their position or otherwise authority to influence a certain outcome. At the same, it is considered bribery when an individual accepts money or something else that is valuable in return for taking an action that influences a certain outcome. Meaning, both parties involved may be found guilty of bribery.
With that being said, the most common types of bribery seen in the state of Texas are as follows:
Coercion of a public servant or voter: for example, an individual influences a voter to vote in a particular manner in exchange for money.
Improper influence: for example, an individual offers a legislator a gift if they promise to vote yes or no on a bill.
Tampering with a witness: for example, an individual offers money to another individual if they promise to rule on a court case in a particular way.
How Can I Defend Against This Accusation?
If you have been accused of any type of bribery, you may, later on, be sentenced to years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. This may be a terrible misunderstanding that you have to clear up. So, to avoid being found guilty of bribery by the Texas criminal court, you may have to take one of the following stances:
If you have been accused of offering a bribe:
You may argue that the bribe recipient coerced you into giving money or something else of value.
You may argue that you never intended to follow through on your agreement with the bribe recipient.
If you have been accused of receiving a bribe:
You may argue that you never wanted to receive the money or something else of value, and therefore lacked the intention of committing a crime.
You may argue that you never had the power to act in the way the other party desired, and could not therefore commit a crime.
You may argue that you would have acted the same way without the existence of the bribe.
All in all, your defense may be made stronger with the sound legal advice of a competent Kaufman County, Texas criminal defense lawyer. Contact our firm as soon as you possibly can.
