The Supreme’s by a 9-0 vote threw out a conviction of a then NY Governor Cuomo’s official , who AT THE TIME was NOT in the Cuomo admin….
He was before and after the acceptance of money…..But when the money was given ….
This is ANOTHER whittling down of the US Justice Dept.’s prosecuting government officals for accepting money….
The guy after Donald Trump, Jack Smith , is no doubt studying this ….
He should….
He lost a case back in day going after a Virginia Governor who accepted a campaign donation and was indicted for it and convicted but got off when the court ruled there was NO direct gain by the person who gave the money….
The court HAS made it clear that elected official’s need and accept money to run and unless the government can prove there was a ‘direct’ exchange of money for services?….It’s Ok to give the money….Smith’s public integrity unit did get convictions…But also lost some big name cases…
Smith IS going to HAVE to be VERY careful in his cases against Trump….
This High Court maybe not simpathic to a ex-President that disses other judges ….
But they WILL go out of their way I’d guess to give Trump any break possible up against the power and history of the American Presidency…..
The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously reversed the public corruption conviction of a longtime aide and friend to the Cuomo family.
Joseph Percoco, who served as an aide to New York Democratic Govs. Mario Cuomo (D) and Andrew Cuomo (D), was found guilty on conspiracy to commit honest-services fraud and bribery charges in 2019.
The justices on Thursday ruled that the jury that convicted Percoco was given an erroneous instruction, sending it back to the lower courts for further proceedings in a 9-0 decision.
The arrangement involved a $35,000 payment that Percoco allegedly accepted in exchange for helping a real estate developer avoid needing to enter a costly labor agreement. Percoco worked in the governor’s office before and after the scheme, but he was serving as the younger Cuomo’s reelection campaign manager for the duration of it.
Percoco had argued that he should not have been convicted for conspiracy to deprive the government of “honest services” because he was a private citizen for the entirety of the scheme….
…
The Justice Department contended that it could bring the charge against Percoco because of his influence with the Cuomos and state agencies, despite him being a private citizen at the time. Percoco’s lawyers pushed back that the federal government’s position effectively would criminalize lobbying…..