Supreme Court Reins in Broad Reading of Fraud Statutes with 'Bridgegate' Case Ruling

When federal prosecutors focus their attention on high profile misconduct that is not an obvious violation of federal criminal law, they often cannot resist the attractions of broadly worded "catch-all" fraud statutes. From time to time, however, the U.S. Supreme Court has pushed back on efforts to further expand the boundaries of these statutes, leading to reversals of some well-publicized criminal convictions.

12 minute read July 01, 2020 at 12:09 AM
By
Robert J. Anello and Richard F. Albert
Supreme Court Reins in Broad Reading of Fraud Statutes with 'Bridgegate' Case Ruling

As we have observed over the years, when federal prosecutors focus their attention on high profile misconduct that is not an obvious violation of federal criminal law, they often cannot resist the attractions of broadly worded "catch-all" fraud statutes like the one prohibiting wire fraud.

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