Corruption or politics? SC weighs new bribery case as more clashes are brewing

livemint.com:

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court for years has been making it more challenging for prosecutors to bring corruption cases against public officials, guided by the belief that some of the dealmaking and fundraising in the political realm is unseemly but not illegal. A new batch of cases making their way through the courts shows that where to draw the line remains in flux. In New York, a U.S.

appeals court recently revived the prosecution of a former lieutenant governor after a trial judge earlier tossed the charges. In Ohio, a group of top former Justice Department officials is criticizing the bribery prosecution of a former Cincinnati City Council member whose political-action committee took money from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen working with a developer. And the Supreme Court jumps back into the fray on Monday in a case that examines the viability of prosecutions against officials who take gratuities after performing actions that helped their benefactors.

City contracts, then a check The justices will hear arguments in an appeal by James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Ind., who was convicted of bribery in 2021. Portage needed new garbage trucks when Snyder took office, so he arranged a public bidding process. The city eventually awarded two contracts worth a combined $1.1 million to a local truck dealership whose owners Snyder was frequently calling and texting at the time.

Not long after the second contract was awarded, the dealership gave Snyder a $13,000 check. The former mayor said the money was an upfront payment for future consulting services he was to provide. Prosecutors said the money was an illegal reward for Snyder directing city business to the dealership.