Kelly v. United States
United States Supreme Court
140 S.Ct. 1565 (2020)
- Written by Sharon Feldman, JD
Facts
The George Washington Bridge (the bridge) is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority) and connects Fort Lee, New Jersey, to the New York City borough of Manhattan. Baroni and Kelly (defendants) were public officials who realigned the toll lanes leading to the bridge so that commuters coming from Fort Lee only had a single lane. The lane realignment was purportedly for a traffic study, but the real reason was to punish Fort Lee’s mayor for not supporting the New Jersey governor’s reelection campaign. The realignment of the lanes resulted in time and labor costs for backup Port Authority toll collectors and traffic engineers. Baroni and Kelly were convicted of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C.§ 1343 and federal-program fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(A). The Third Circuit affirmed the convictions. Baroni and Kelly filed petitions for a writ of certiorari. The Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Kagan, J.)
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