The main agencies involved in a federal bribery investigation are going to be the FBI and any specific agency involved in the offense that has its own investigative unit. For example, if a person has a contract with the Department of Defense, the Department of Defense has its own investigative unit that works side by side with the FBI, trying to sniff out any bribery that might be going on within the DOD.
If you are currently under investigation for bribery in Virginia, it is pertinent that you contact a federal lawyer to begin crafting a defense against the prosecution’s allegations.
Agency Participation
If the person being investigated is a member of a Virginia state agency, it is possible that Virginia law enforcement will investigate and create a task force that will combine the resources of federal and state government to investigate these cases.
However, if the target or targets of the investigation have only to do with federal agencies or federal contracts, it would be unlikely that Virginia local agencies or law enforcement would participate in the investigation of a Virginia federal bribery charge.
Process of an Investigation
The goal in all bribery investigations is to follow the money. Investigative agencies have to find where the money came from and where the money went. To do that, they subpoena bank records. They will interview witnesses and talk to people who might have seen meetings take place or overheard conversations. They have to track the money, find the motive, and they are going to do whatever it is that they need to do to make that happen.
The enforcement of federal bribery charges in Virginia is quite intense, as investigators will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
Steps Law Enforcement Will Take
The first step the enforcement agencies will take in a Virginia federal bribery charge is going to be to find the money. They are going to figure out what was exchanged, how it was exchanged from where it came, and where it ended up. That is the first thing, because law enforcement is looking for the source of the money. Without the money, none of these charges matter.
In order to do this, investigators have subpoenas that they can issue to the banking institutions to help them track the money. There are primary things used on the ground and investigative techniques like talking to witnesses, collecting phone records, and subpoenaing email records, which are on the top on their list.
It is hard to say what tools they might use to enforce a federal bribery charge in Virginia, because it depends upon where the investigation will take them. Suffice to say, investigators never leave any stones unturned. They will find whatever it is they are looking for if it exists in this world.
Length of the Investigation
It is hard to say how long an investigation into a Virginia federal bribery charge will take because some investigations tend to take a long time. For example, there are clients that have been under investigation for the better part of three years. They have gone through a civil and criminal investigation. They have executed search warrants, turned everything upside down, and found no charges. However, they are talking to people and still amassing evidence.
In some cases, the government might reveal evidence that makes an investigation go quickly, but usually, bribery and receipt of favors from the government are difficult to prove. If Federal Government is going to charge anything, they are going to make sure they have a solid case. As a result, these investigations can take a very long time.
