Penal Code 137 PC - Bribery of a Witness in California

Criminal defense attorney Neil Shouse describes the crime of "bribery of a witness" under California penal code 137.

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California penal code 137, also called 137 PC, makes it a crime to offer money to a witness in order to influence their testimony in court or in any other legal proceeding. An example is someone who robs a bank and is later identified to the police by a bank teller. If the the robber then later goes to the bank teller and offers money for their silence, or asks the teller to blame someone else for the crime, or say they didn't get a good look at the robber, then that would be the crime of penal code 137, bribing a witness. Just offering the bribe to a witness can lead to a guilty verdict for 137 PC. The witness does not have to agree, or to testify on your behalf, or to even be handed the money.

Bribing a witness is a felony in California, with up to 4 years in prison if convicted, and fines.

However many people are falsely accused of this crime. It could be that you were just talking to the witness, but never asked them to change their testimony or offered anything of value. It could be that the witness was the one that initiated the conversation about a bribe, or was trying to extort you for money, but you never tried to bribe the witness at all. Or perhaps someone else tried to bribe the witness on your behalf, but you knew nothing about it, and were falsely blamed for someone else’s actions. Or perhaps the police gained evidence of a bribery by way of an illegal search and seizure, in which case the illegally obtained evidence should be thrown out of court by a judge, and likely the charges would be dismissed.

If you or a loved one is charged with a crime we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group. We can provide a free consultation in office or by phone. We have local offices in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Long Beach, Orange County, Ventura, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and throughout California.

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