It is incredibly important for an attorney to have all possible information at their disposal when building a defense for Maryland federal bribery cases. These cases can be extremely complex, and require an immense amount of focus and attention to produce effective results. If you have found yourself charged with federal bribery, it is vital that you contact an experienced lawyer immediately. An attorney can assist in reducing any and all possible penalties associated with your charge.
Defending a Bribery Charge
First, an attorney will try to understand as much as possible of what the government’s case is likely to be. They will want to understand who the players are from the government’s perspective, and who they believe their witnesses are. An attorney will want to talk to those witnesses and understand what witnesses they may have of their own in order to craft a potential defense. Finally, a lawyer will want to understand what, if any, documents or records exist that could potentially hurt or help their client. An experienced Maryland lawyer needs to know all of these things in order to build a strong defense for federal bribery cases.
There are several options to build a defense for Maryland federal bribery cases, depending on the specific circumstances of the case. Typically, defenses are that there was nothing of value ever given, nothing was promised in exchange, nothing was actually given in exchange, and that there was no meeting of the minds between the two or more people allegedly involved. Often, the witnesses who are brought to bear by the prosecution are inherently suspect because they are bought and paid for. That is not necessarily a defense, but it is an avenue of attack on the government’s case.
Role of the Client
An attorney will want to get to know their client, understand them on both a professional and personal level, and understand what the government is focused on before they start asking questions specific to the allegations. Often, in these cases, the goal is to provide context to what is going on. The government often tries to take things, separate out one particular conversation out of thousands of conversations between two people, and prove that something of value was provided in exchange for a promise of undue influence, or something else in return. It is important to prove that the relationship between those two people is much more complicated and nuanced than in that one conversation.
Knowing a client on both a personal and professional level is crucial, and understanding the specific issues surrounding the accused individual’s business interests are valuable. Using that knowledge, plus the knowledge of the government’s focus, an attorney can figure out the best avenues of attack.
Gathering Strong Evidence
The evidence used in a defense of a Maryland federal bribery charge depends on the specific factors of the case. First, an attorney will look at the government’s evidence to try and see any avenues to attack to raise reasonable doubt. Secondly, a lawyer will look at any documents or other paper evidence that can be brought to bear, that either gives context to a conversation or shows that the government’s allegations do not rise to the level of a criminal charge or raise a reasonable doubt as to the propriety of that charge. An attorney will then talk to witnesses who could potentially help the case. All of these efforts go into building a defense for Maryland federal bribery cases and helps raise a reasonable doubt as to the viability of the government’s charge.
Specific Challenges
In building a defense for a Maryland federal bribery charge, the challenge arises because public perception is shaped by media. It sometimes puts the client at a disadvantage. The allegations are very serious and people are very sensitive about issues of public corruption, and that can be a hard challenge to combat. It also depends on what the government does. If there are electronic intercepts, those can also be a challenge. An attorney will have to bring context to those tapes, and they can sometimes be challenging to defend.
In bribery cases, there can be Fourth Amendment issues that arise with respect to the types of investigative techniques that the government uses, whether it be a wiretap or the execution of certain warrants. There may be Fifth Amendment issues as well with respect to the interviews of clients. These are the two basic constitutional issues that typically arise.
Importance of the Right Attorney
It is important for an accused individual to look for an attorney that has experience dealing with these cases. The more understanding that a lawyer has of the specifics of their client’s case, the more success the case normally is. It is important to find a lawyer that has a genuine interest in pursuing federal bribery cases and is willing to put in the extra hours to create a strong defense. An attorney that can bring that kind of passion to a case normally produces the best results and can help ensure that the penalties and consequences associated with your case are lessened to the highest possible degree.
