Private Actors and Public Corruption: Why Courts Should Adopt a Broad Interpretation of the Hobbs Act

Authors

Megan DeMarco, University of Michigan Law School

Abstract

Federal prosecutors routinely charge public officials with “extortion under color of official right” under a public-corruption statute called the Hobbs Act. To be prosecuted under the Hobbs Act, a public official must promise official action in return for a bribe or kickback. The public official, however, does not need to have actual authority over that official action. As long as the victim reasonably believed that the public official could deliver or influence government action, the public official violated the Hobbs Act. Private citizens also solicit bribes in return for influencing official action. Yet most courts do not think the Hobbs Act applies to private citizens, even those who also create and exploit a belief that they have the ability to influence official action. This Note argues that interpreting “extortion under color of official right” to exclude private actors is incorrect. The test for anyone acting under color of official right should be whether the victim reasonably believes that person can influence official action.

Recommended Citation

Megan DeMarco, Private Actors and Public Corruption: Why Courts Should Adopt a Broad Interpretation of the Hobbs Act, 115 Mich. L. Rev. 413 (2016).
Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol115/iss3/3