Bribery is a white collar crime that generally implies that money or a gift be given in order to alter the behavior of the receiver in a way that differs from regular duties of the receiver, or is in some way breaks the law. Bribery is considered to be crime and is “defined” as the giving, receiving, soliciting, or offering, of something of value in order to influence a different reaction from another person or official in discharge of a legal or public. The bribe could be money, goods of value, property, privilege, advantage, or a promise to influence the action, vote, or influence of a person in an official capacity.

Bribery can take many different forms. For example, a motorist could possibly bribe an officer of the law not to issue a speeding ticket. Around the world, bribery is estimated at about $1 trillion. There is a gray area that might exist when payments are made to smooth the way for transactions. The law in the United States is very strict in limiting the ability of a business to pay for the awarding of a contract by foreign governments.

The punishment for the serious crime of issuing or accepting a bribe may be a heavy fine or several years in prison, or both. Both civil and criminal charges can be brought against anyone who is suspected of being involved in a bribe. The Anti-Kickback Act of 1986 prohibits government contractors and subcontracts from giving or taking bribes or kickbacks. If a contractor or subcontractor forces one of their employees to kickback part of his or her compensation, then the contractor or subcontractor could face a $5000 fine or up to five years in prison, or both.

Even though bribery originally involved the bribing of judges, its definition has now been expanded to include actions by all kinds of government officials, on both the local and national levels, and it covers all public employees.

In addition to violating both moral and legal codes, bribery poses serious problems for both economic development and international trade.  The price of bribes has to be factored into some international transactions, and corporations find themselves often in the position of having to infringe on their own country’s anticorruption laws in order to do business in other parts of the world.

Bribery can reach the level of felony depending on how severe it is. At this level, bribery is punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both. On the other hand, sometimes the charges can be reduced in exchange for helping to convict their accomplices.