Opinion of the Court
Sun-Diamond Growers Did Not Violate Federal Gratuity Prohibition Law
This case was granted certiorari on November 2, 1998. On April 27, 1999, a unanimous Court affirmed the lower-court decision, ruling for Sun-Diamond. The Court handed Independent Counsel Donald Smaltz a setback when it held that Sun-Diamond Growers, which had been convicted of bribing Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, did not violate a Federal gratuity prohibition statue by offering the secretary gifts based solely on Espy’s official position. The following is an excerpt from the syllabus of the Court’s decision:"In order to establish a violation, the Government must prove a link between a thing of value conferred upon a Federal official…
