In recent years, the academic, economic, political, and social implications of corruption have gained greater attention in the United States, but this newfound mindfulness has not resulted in an authentic and accurate understanding by those most impacted by corruption. This increased awareness has come in large part from the increased popularity of emotionally charged ad hominem attacks leveled by political types against their political opposition. The intensity and frequency of the claim increases the public’s sense of corruption in leadership, but it does little to actually educate people on what corruption is, what it looks like, and the stench it leaves behind.

Repeatedly witnessing intense and passionate claims of corruption without observing any consequences or accountability, undermines citizen confidence in the government. To partisans, claims of corruption are merely a political weapon, but to those outside of politics, it is personal. Every act of corruption makes victims of the people that politicians and government officials are supposed to serve. So, the more corruption is alleged without consequence the less citizens believe the government is working on their behalf and the more rampant they believe corruption has become, making the war on corruption far more difficult. People have to believe corruption can be rooted out if they will take the steps necessary to assist law enforcement in their effort to combat it. Less confidence equates to less assistance. Less assistance equates to less law enforcement effectiveness. Less law enforcement effectiveness equates to more corruption.

In simplest terms, corruption is the abuse of one’s office or position for personal gain. It is the exercise of entrusted power or influence within any hierarchical structure in exchange for an illicit benefit. The risk of corruption ultimately exists anywhere power and/or influence determine the distribution of resources or the outcome of decisions. Sometimes it is the absence of a decision that is sought, as opposed to a decision in favor of one thing or another. It can be sufficiently useful to have someone in authority “look the other way” as opposed to taking overt action. For example, paying a city fire inspector to ignore safety violations, or paying a Customs and Border Protection officer to not stop a vehicle traveling through a point of entry at one of the nation’s border checkpoints. In criminal investigations, proving that the inaction of an individual constitutes corruption and not incompetence can be difficult, but it is not impossible.

History has proven corruption to be as old as any government, industry, organization, tribe, union, or club. Royal families, democratic governments, dictatorships, businesses, and religious organizations all contain hierarchies, and all hierarchies are susceptible to internal acts of corruption whereby illicit means are used to elevate one’s place within the hierarchy. An example might be when someone bribes their boss or a person higher in the hierarchy with acts of intimacy, an expensive gift, or something else of value in exchange for a promotion. A bribe is the illicit payment made in exchange for a benefit. There is no hierarchy that is immune to the threat of corruption. As long as there are people on different levels of the hierarchy, there will always be people willing to engage in illicit behavior to elevate themselves within that hierarchy.

Sometimes, however, corruption exists between hierarchies. This could include any number of scenarios, but two common examples would be business-to-business and business-to-government. Business-to-business corruption could manifest in bid rigging or price fixing schemes whereby businesses illicitly coordinate to manipulate prices or the market in some other way. Business-to-government corruption is when a business bribes a public/government official with something of value in exchange for some benefit.

The deliberate act of corruption, regardless of type, merely requires someone with sufficient access and motivation. These corrupt motivations are most frequently propelled by a narcissistic desire for money, fame, sex, power, or the perception of power and influence over individuals or decisions.

Public corruption (also referred to as government corruption) occurs when an elected, appointed, hired, or contracted public official (government official) abuses his or her public office or government position for personal benefit, or when another person corrupts or attempts to corrupt a public official or government office. Public officials engaging in criminal activity outside of their official capacity are not engaging in corruption. For example, mortgage fraud committed by a law enforcement officer whereby no official act was committed by the officer in furtherance of the fraud is not corruption, at least in the criminal sense. It is fraud committed by an individual who happens to be a law enforcement officer. However, if the same law enforcement officer agreed to “fix” future moving violation citations received by the mortgage underwriter in exchange for her looking the other way on mortgage application discrepancies, that would be an act of public corruption.

Fun Fact: Some states have defined their Homeowner’s Association (HOA) board members in a way similar to other public officials in their respective states. As a result, the FBI can investigate HOA board members in those states as if they were like any other public official, subject to applicable federal criminal statutes.