Federal Funds Bribery-Obstructing the IRS

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: United States of America v. James Snyder

Case No.: 21-2986

Officials: Hamilton, Jackson‐Akiwumi, and Lee, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Federal Funds Bribery-Obstructing the IRS

Appellant James Snyder is a former mayor of Portage, Indiana. He was convicted of federal funds bribery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B) for soliciting and accepting $13,000 in connection with the city’s purchases of garbage trucks. Snyder was also convicted of obstructing the administration of federal revenue laws in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7212(a) for concealing assets and income from the IRS. Snyder was sentenced to 21 months in prison and one year of supervised release.

Given irregularities in the bidding process, Snyder’s contemporaneous contacts with the Buhas (unique among bidders), the timing of the $13,000 payment, the dubious explanations offered for the payment, and the lack of corroborating evidence for Snyder’s claim that he was paid for consulting, a reasonable jury could conclude that Snyder accepted the check as a bribe or gratuity for steering the contracts to GLPB

Affirmed.

Decided 06/15/23

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