United States v. Copeland
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
143 F.3d 1439 (1998)
- Written by Sharon Feldman, JD
Facts
Virgil Copeland (defendant) was the manager in the facilities-operations division of a Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company (Lockheed) plant. Copeland was responsible for finding space to lease and choosing contractors for construction, maintenance, and repair projects. John Winders (defendant) was a real estate appraiser and broker who assisted Lockheed in acquiring real estate and rental premises. Winders paid Copeland to refer Lockheed work to him and to get Lockheed to pay him abnormally high commissions. Copeland also accepted payments from two other contractors to whom Lockheed awarded construction projects. Copeland and Winders were convicted of bribery in violation of the federal-program-fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 666. On appeal, Copeland and Winders argued that the government (plaintiff) failed to prove that Lockheed was an organization that received benefits pursuant to a federal program as required by 18 U.S.C. § 666.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Black, J.)
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