2C:27-11 Offer of unlawful benefit to public servant for official behavior.
6.Offer of unlawful benefit to public servant for official behavior.
a.A
person commits a crime if the person offers, confers or agrees to
confer any benefit, whether the benefit inures to the public servant or
another person, to influence a public servant in the performance of an
official duty or to commit a violation of an official duty.
b.A
person commits a crime if the person, directly or indirectly, confers
or agrees to confer any benefit not allowed by law to a public servant.
c.In
addition to the definition set forth in N.J.S. 2C:27-1, benefit as used
in this act includes any benefit from or by reason of a contract or
agreement for goods, property or services if the contract or agreement
is awarded, made or paid by the branch, subdivision, or agency of the
government that employs the public servant.
d.The provisions of this section shall not apply to:
(1)Fees
prescribed by law to be received by a public servant or any other
benefit to which the public servant is otherwise legally entitled if
these fees or benefits are received in the manner legally prescribed and
not bartered for another benefit to influence the performance of an
official duty or to commit a violation of an official duty;
(2)Gifts
or other benefits conferred on account of kinship or other personal,
professional or business relationship independent of the official status
of the recipient if these gifts or benefits are within otherwise
legally permissible limits and are not bartered for another benefit to
influence the performance of an official duty or to commit a violation
of an official duty; or
(3)Trivial
benefits the receipt of which involve no risk that the public servant
would perform official duties in a biased or partial manner.
e.
(1) An offense proscribed by subsection a. of this section is a crime of
the second degree. If the benefit solicited, accepted or agreed to be
accepted is of a value of $200.00 or less, any offense proscribed by
subsection a. of this section is a crime of the third degree.
(2)An
offense proscribed by subsection b. of this section is a crime of the
third degree. If the gift or other benefit is of a value of $200.00 or
less, an offense proscribed by subsection b. of this section is a crime
of the fourth degree.
L.2003,c.255,s.6.