Defending Public Corruption Charges
The crime of public corruption, especially here in the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois, has become a top area of investigation for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The last two governors of Illinois have been convicted of public corruption charges. The FBI has increased their resources to focus on pursuing inquiries related to corrupt activities that could threaten the well being of the United States and local governments. A growing number of task forces and investigatory units are involved in the identification of public corruption, from election crimes to foreign corruption. When public funds or activities appear to be threatened or used incorrectly, the FBI has the resources to pursue perpetrators and bring them to justice. These are very serious charges and if you are facing a public corruption charge in Illinois you need to contact an experienced Chicago Federal Criminal Lawyer.
What is Public Corruption?
It is the violation, by a public official, of their duties owed to the people that they represent. The most common type of public corruption is when an elected official is given something of value in turn for the public official using their power to make a favorable decision. Public corruption can occur at all areas of government. It can occur at the local level (judges and alderman in Chicago), the State level (governor) or the Federal level (Senators and Congressman). Public officials have so much power that they become susceptible into being bribed. We can help an individual charged with public corruption.
Types of Public Corruption in Illinois
The majority of public corruption cases can be separated in five different categories: judicial, legislative, regulatory, law enforcement and contractual. Legislative public corruption occurs when a legislature receives something of value in exchange for voting a certain way or pushing certain legislation. Corruption of the judiciary usually involves judges receiving bribes in exchange for ruling a certain way. Regulatory corruption refers to government investigators, such as those that are investigating the corporate scandals and wrongdoing that has occurred over the last few years. Contractual corruption occurs when business that are connected to government business use illegal manners of persuasion in order to receive lucrative government contracts. Law enforcement corruption refers to any illegal attempt to get an officer to violate the law.
Public corruption charges are usually filed after a thorough FBI investigation. Public corruption charges may be related to theft or extortion, contract-rigging, false appraisals and so on. Personal financial gains from acts of public corruption are met with government investigation and the federal criminal justice system.
Facing Charges of Public Corruption in Chicago
Public corruption charges are complex, and the prosecutor making the charges may have virtually unlimited resources at its disposal. To protect their own rights, people who are accused of public corruption must ensure that they have strong legal representation and need an experienced lawyer on their side. We are prepared to defend complicated financial crimes in federal court, including those that involve charges of public corruption. Our firm has an experienced federal criminal legal team that can evaluate a person’s situation to determine an appropriate line of defense to the public corruption charges. Consulting a attorney as soon as charges are brought against a person is highly recommended, so clients have a strong legal team to assist them throughout the legal process and at the same time explaining each aspect of the case. In a perfect world a federal criminal lawyer would be retained prior to the filing of the criminal charges.
Public Corruption Cases: Chicago Federal Court
our lawyer has successfully defended many federal cases and his familiarity with the system, local personnel and defense of federal legal charges makes him well prepared to help clients avoid conviction and incarceration on their public corruption charge.
Federal public corruption charges are very serious in nature and if a conviction results, jail time is a very real possibility. Our team is here to minimize that risk by defending their clients with forceful and creative representation. Michael Schmiege a is highly qualified attorney who has the experience you will need to face the legal challenges that come with public corruption cases, effectively defending their clients against corruption charges.
Consult experienced Chicago Federal Criminal Lawyer Michael Schmiege immediately if you find yourself faced with charges of public corruption.
