Legal Definitions - Obstruction of justice

Obstruction of justice refers to any act that intentionally interferes with the proper functioning of a legal proceeding or investigation. It involves a deliberate effort to hinder, influence, or impede the fair administration of justice.

To be considered obstruction of justice, an individual must typically:

• Have the specific intent to obstruct or interfere with a legal proceeding. This means they acted with the purpose of hindering justice.
• Know that a legal proceeding was pending or about to begin at the time of their actions. This could be a court case, a congressional inquiry, or an investigation by a federal agency.
• Have a connection between their obstructive action and the proceeding, and be aware of this connection.

This offense applies to federal judicial proceedings, as well as investigations or proceedings before Congress or federal administrative agencies, including informal investigations.

Here are some examples illustrating obstruction of justice:

• Example 1: Tampering with a Witness

  Imagine a federal grand jury is investigating a large-scale financial fraud. One of the key witnesses, who has direct knowledge of the fraud, receives a series of anonymous threats warning them not to testify. The person sending these threats intends to prevent the witness from cooperating with the grand jury and thereby derail the investigation.

  This illustrates obstruction of justice because the individual intentionally used threats to influence and impede a pending federal judicial proceeding (the grand jury investigation) by trying to prevent a witness from providing truthful testimony.

• Example 2: Destroying Evidence During an Agency Investigation

  A federal environmental protection agency notifies a manufacturing company that it is launching an investigation into potential illegal waste disposal practices. Upon receiving this notice, a company executive immediately orders IT staff to permanently delete all internal emails and digital records related to waste management from the past five years, knowing these documents would be crucial evidence for the agency.

  This demonstrates obstruction of justice because the executive acted with the specific intent to destroy evidence relevant to a known, pending federal administrative agency investigation, thereby impeding the agency's ability to administer justice.

• Example 3: Providing False Information to Federal Investigators

  During an FBI investigation into a suspected bribery scheme involving a federal contract, an individual who was involved in the scheme provides agents with fabricated documents and gives false statements under oath, claiming they have no knowledge of any illicit payments. They do this to mislead the investigators and prevent them from uncovering the truth.

  This is an example of obstruction of justice because the individual knowingly provided false information and fabricated evidence to federal law enforcement officers, with the specific intent to obstruct and impede an ongoing federal investigation into criminal activity.