NYC Bribery & Extortion Crimes Attorney
If you are accused of bribery or extortion, these are serious crimes, punishable by years in a state penitentiary. If you have been arrested and charged with either bribery or extortion, seeking assistance from a skilled New York City bribery and extortion attorney is crucial in helping to prepare the best defense possible. You should not handle your own defense or trust it in the hands of an inexperienced defense attorney. Instead, let New York City bribery & extortion attorney Mark I. Cohen, Esq. help prepare the strongest defense possible.
Bribery and extortion charges are typically considered felonies, and are illegal under both federal and state laws. This means you could be facing considerable prison time and expensive fines.
What is Bribery?
Essentially, bribery is giving or offering something of value, or receiving or soliciting something of value, with the purpose of gaining an illegal advantage. There are two main types of bribery under New York law — bribery involving public servants or bribery involving non-public servants.
Charges can result from offering a bribe, accepting a bribe, or attempting to offer or accept one. If you are charged with bribing a public servant, the penalties are more severe. But, don’t assume that bribing a non-public servant is less risky. It’s still a serious charge.
In New York, felonies are classified by letters, A through E, with A being the most serious of charges. In many cases, bribery of a public servant falls under classes D through B. For example, bribery in the third degree is a Class D felony while bribery in the first degree is a Class B felony.
Bribery of a non-public servant is classified a little different. Some examples include:
- Sports bribing is a Class D felony
- Commercial bribing in the second degree is a Class A misdemeanor while commercial bribing in the first degree is a Class E felony
- Tampering with a sports contest in the first or second degree is a Class E felony
What is Extortion?
Extortion can also be a state or federal crime. It depends on the circumstances of the crime. Extortion is defined as when you illegally obtain property, money, or services from someone else, another entity, or some type of institution through coercion. Coercion can involve intimidation or threats of violence. Whatever is being extorted — money, services, or property – doesn’t have to physically change hands for you to be charged with extortion. It’s important to note that if the extortion is done via email or any other type of computerized communication, it can be deemed a federal crime.
Extortion has different classifications as well. These fall under coercion laws and range from misdemeanors to felonies. There are also extortion in grand larceny classifications. For example, extortion in grand larceny is when someone obtains property by forcing someone else to give the property to the extortionist by creating fear that if the person fails to comply, he or she could be physically injured or have their property damaged.
Contact a New York City Criminal Defense Attorney Today
If you have been charged with bribery and/or extortion, contact Mark I. Cohen, Esq. today to schedule an initial consultation. Let us prepare the best defense possible for your pending criminal charges.
