Bank Bribery, 18 U.S.C. § 215
The bank bribery statute, Section § 215 of the U.S. Code, provides:
(a) Whoever -
(1) corruptly gives, offers, or promises anything of value to any person, with intent to influence or reward an officer, director, employee, agent, or attorney of a financial institution in connection with any business or transaction of such institution; or
(2) as an officer, director, employee, agent, or attorney of a financial institution, corruptly solicits or demands for the benefit of any person, or corruptly accepts or agrees to accept, anything of value from any person, intending to be influenced or rewarded in connection with any business or transaction of such institution;
shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or three times the value of the thing given, offered, promised, solicited, demanded, accepted, or agreed to be accepted, whichever is greater, or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both, but if the value of the thing given, offered, promised, solicited, demanded, accepted, or agreed to be accepted does not exceed $100, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
The section applies both to those who give bribes and to those who accept them. Under the statute, the bribe is ''anything of value'', not necessarily money, and the actual value of the bribe is irrelevant. It is also not necessary to give it. An offer or promise of the bribe is sufficient. The amount of the bribe does have an effect on the sentence, though. If the value of the bribe exceeds $100, the maximum term of imprisonment could be up to 30 years and the maximum fine could be the greatest of $1 million or three times the value of the bribe.
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