Penal Law § 200.15

Bribe receiving; no defense · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 200.15 Bribe receiving; no defense.

1. The crimes of (a) bribe receiving, and (b) larceny committed by means of extortion, attempt to commit the same, coercion and attempt to commit coercion, are not mutually exclusive, and it is no defense to a prosecution for bribe receiving that, by reason of the same conduct, the defendant also committed one of such other specified crimes.

2. It is no defense to a prosecution pursuant to the provisions of this article that the public servant did not have power or authority to perform the act or omission for which the alleged bribe, gratuity or reward was given.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/200.15

In plain English

These are not defenses:

(1) In a prosecution for bribe receiving, that the same conduct also amounted to larceny by extortion, attempted larceny by extortion, coercion, or attempted coercion — the crimes are not mutually exclusive.
(2) In any prosecution under this article, that the public servant lacked the power or authority to perform the act or omission for which the alleged bribe, gratuity, or reward was given. ★

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.