Case library · All the President's Men
The Cabinet Officer's Ranch
Fall v. United States (1931)
Charge: Bribery by a public officialCourt: Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia (on appeal from the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia)State: District of ColumbiaDocket: All the President's Men
The facts
The cabinet officer in charge of the country's public lands arranged leases of navy oil reserves to private oil men. Around the same time, one of those oil men handed him $100,000, which he used to buy a ranch. He said the money was a personal loan from an old friend and had nothing to do with the leases. The law required proof that he took the money because of what he did, or was to do, in his official job.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Fall v. United States, 49 F.2d 506 (D.C. Cir. 1931)
Read more at courtlistener.com. The source reveals the outcome.