Take Me Out to the Courthouse · Players in the Dock
The Bonus That Wasn't
United States v. George M. Steinbrenner III (1974)
Charge: Illegal corporate contributions to a presidential campaign, plus related charges of misleading investigatorsCourt: U.S. District Court (federal)Docket: Players in the Dock
Did disguising corporate money as employee bonuses to fund a presidential campaign break federal campaign finance law?
The facts
A shipbuilding magnate who had just bought a famous big-league club also ran a large shipbuilding company. Prosecutors said the company paid employees 'bonuses' that were really meant to be passed on as donations to a sitting president's re-election campaign. Federal law bars corporations from giving money directly to federal candidates. Investigators also said company records were altered and employees were pressured to give false accounts. The owner at first insisted he was completely innocent.
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: United States v. George M. Steinbrenner III, U.S. District Court (federal), guilty plea 1974; pardoned by President Reagan in 1989
Read more at brennancenter.org. The source reveals the outcome.