Kelly v. United States

This case came from the New Jersey "Bridgegate" scandal, where officials changed traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge while giving a false public-policy explanation. On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court said the scheme did not violate federal wire fraud or federal-program fraud laws because it was not aimed at taking the Port Authority's money or property.

The Court decided on May 7, 2020, that the lane-change scheme did not violate federal wire fraud or federal-program fraud laws, but the prompt does not provide the vote or opinion lineup.

The decision limits how far federal fraud laws reach when public officials abuse power for political payback. For example, prosecutors cannot use these property-fraud laws just because officials lied about why they made a policy choice.

The Supreme Court has finished this docket action. Its decision now governs this case and will guide how similar federal fraud charges are evaluated.

The Court had to decide whether officials committed federal property fraud by lying about why they changed bridge lanes. It said no, because the scheme was not aimed at taking money or property.

It narrows prosecutors' use of federal fraud laws when officials lie about policy decisions. A deceptive abuse of power alone is not enough without a money-or-property target.

The Court has finished this docket action. Its decision will control this case and guide similar disputes over federal fraud laws.