Tijuana Strip Clubs: Supreme Court Ruling May Toss Out Local Corruption Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court handed a partial victory to former Enron chief Jeff Skilling on Thursday, as it ruled the “honest services” fraud statute used was too vague.
A narrowing of the scope of the statute, which also allows the federal government to go after local officials for corruption, could mean big headaches for prosecutors in some San Diego-area cases.
“The impact could be huge,” said former U.S. Attorney Chuck La Bella.
With the Supreme Court’s ruling that the law was too vague, La Bella pointed out, “What they’re saying is this provision can only be used to address traditional bribes or kickbacks. It can’t be used for improper conduct.”
The ruling may have an impact on local cases, including the so-called “Strippergate” case in 2003, where former San Diego City Council members were convicted of conspiring with a strip club owner to relax the “no-touch” laws.