{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-439.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-439.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-439.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-439.html"}],"law_id":66963,"edition_id":1,"section_id":66963,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-439","catch_line":"Acceptance of bribe by officer or candidate","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-279; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.","full_text":"If any executive, legislative or judicial officer, sheriff or police officer, or any candidate for such office, accept in this Commonwealth, or if, being resident in this Commonwealth, such officer or candidate shall go out of this Commonwealth and accept and afterwards return to and reside in this Commonwealth, any gift or gratuity or any promise to make a gift or do any act beneficial to such officer or candidate under an agreement, or with an understanding, that his vote, opinion or judgment shall be given on any particular side of any question, cause or proceeding which is or may be by law brought before him in his official capacity or that in such capacity he shall make any particular nomination or appointment or take or fail to take any particular action or perform any duty required by law, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony and shall forfeit his office and be forever incapable of holding any office of honor, profit or trust under the Constitution of Virginia. The word candidate as used in this section and \u00a7 18.2-438, shall mean anyone who has filed his candidacy with the appropriate electoral official or who is a candidate as defined in \u00a7 24.2-101.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":242759,"text":"If any executive, legislative or judicial officer, sheriff or police officer, or any candidate for such office, accept in this Commonwealth, or if, being resident in this Commonwealth, such officer or candidate shall go out of this Commonwealth and accept and afterwards return to and reside in this Commonwealth, any gift or gratuity or any promise to make a gift or do any act beneficial to such officer or candidate under an agreement, or with an understanding, that his vote, opinion or judgment shall be given on any particular side of any question, cause or proceeding which is or may be by law brought before him in his official capacity or that in such capacity he shall make any particular nomination or appointment or take or fail to take any particular action or perform any duty required by law, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony and shall forfeit his office and be forever incapable of holding any office of honor, profit or trust under the Constitution of Virginia. The word candidate as used in this section and \u00a7 18.2-438, shall mean anyone who has filed his candidacy with the appropriate electoral official or who is a candidate as defined in \u00a7 24.2-101.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13418,"edition_id":1,"name":"Bribery and Related Offenses","identifier":"2","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13246,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:51","permalink":{"id":164241,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13418,"identifier":"2","token":"18.2\/10\/2","url":"\/18.2\/10\/2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13246,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Against the Administration of Justice","identifier":"10","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:30","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:30","permalink":{"id":164221,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13246,"identifier":"10","token":"18.2\/10","url":"\/18.2\/10\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12972,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":164139,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12972,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":65705,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-438","catch_line":"Bribes to officers or candidates for office","url":"\/18.2-438\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-438","metadata":false},{"id":66963,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-439","catch_line":"Acceptance of bribe by officer or candidate","url":"\/18.2-439\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-439","metadata":false},{"id":56565,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-440","catch_line":"Bribes to officers to prevent service of process","url":"\/18.2-440\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-440","metadata":false},{"id":60870,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-441","catch_line":"Giving bribes to, or receiving bribes by, commissioners, jurors, etc","url":"\/18.2-441\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-441","metadata":false},{"id":63688,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-441.1","catch_line":"Bribery of witnesses","url":"\/18.2-441.1\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-441.1","metadata":false},{"id":73694,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-442","catch_line":"Bribery of participants in games, contests or sports","url":"\/18.2-442\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-442","metadata":false},{"id":77399,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-443","catch_line":"Solicitation or acceptance of bribes by participants or by managers, coaches or trainers","url":"\/18.2-443\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-443","metadata":false},{"id":69599,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-444","catch_line":"Corruptly influencing, or being influenced as, agents, etc","url":"\/18.2-444\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-444","metadata":false},{"id":78704,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-444.1","catch_line":"Reserved","url":"\/18.2-444.1\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-444.1","metadata":false},{"id":54388,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-444.2","catch_line":"Giving or accepting a fee or gift for purposes of influencing decisions of financial institution","url":"\/18.2-444.2\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-444.2","metadata":false},{"id":54827,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-445","catch_line":"Immunity of witnesses","url":"\/18.2-445\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-445","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":65705,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-438","catch_line":"Bribes to officers or candidates for office","url":"\/18.2-438\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-438","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":56565,"structure_id":13418,"section_number":"18.2-440","catch_line":"Bribes to officers to prevent service of process","url":"\/18.2-440\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-440","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-439\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1960, chapter 358; in 1975, chapters 14 and 15.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":65705,"section_number":"18.2-438","catch_line":"Bribes to officers or candidates for office","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-438\/"},{"id":61543,"section_number":"24.2-101","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-101\/"}],"permalink":{"id":164247,"object_type":"law","relational_id":66963,"identifier":"18.2-439","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-439","url":"\/18.2-439\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-439\/","token":"18.2\/10\/2\/18.2-439","dublin_core":{"Title":"Acceptance of bribe by officer or candidate","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-439","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

If any executive, legislative or judicial officer, sheriff or police officer, or any candidate for such office, accept in this Commonwealth, or if, being resident in this Commonwealth, such officer or candidate shall go out of this Commonwealth and accept and afterwards return to and reside in this Commonwealth, any gift or gratuity or any promise to make a gift or do any act beneficial to such officer or candidate under an agreement, or with an understanding, that his vote, opinion<\/span> or judgment<\/span> shall be given on any particular side of any question, cause or proceeding which is or may be by law<\/span> brought before him in his official capacity or that in such capacity he shall make any particular nomination or appointment or take or fail to take any particular action or perform any duty required by law<\/span>, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony<\/span> and shall forfeit his office and be forever incapable of holding any office of honor, profit or trust under the Constitution of Virginia. The word candidate as used in this section and \u00a7 18.2-438<\/a>, shall mean anyone who has filed his candidacy with the appropriate electoral official or who is a candidate as defined in \u00a7 24.2-101<\/a>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nACCEPTANCE OF BRIBE BY OFFICER OR CANDIDATE (\u00a7 18.2-439)\n\nIf any executive, legislative or judicial officer, sheriff or police officer, or\nany candidate for such office, accept in this Commonwealth, or if, being\nresident in this Commonwealth, such officer or candidate shall go out of this\nCommonwealth and accept and afterwards return to and reside in this\nCommonwealth, any gift or gratuity or any promise to make a gift or do any act\nbeneficial to such officer or candidate under an agreement, or with an\nunderstanding, that his vote, opinion or judgment shall be given on any\nparticular side of any question, cause or proceeding which is or may be by law\nbrought before him in his official capacity or that in such capacity he shall\nmake any particular nomination or appointment or take or fail to take any\nparticular action or perform any duty required by law, he shall be guilty of a\nClass 4 felony and shall forfeit his office and be forever incapable of holding\nany office of honor, profit or trust under the Constitution of Virginia. The\nword candidate as used in this section and \u00a7 18.2-438, shall mean anyone who\nhas filed his candidacy with the appropriate electoral official or who is a\ncandidate as defined in \u00a7 24.2-101.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 18.1-279; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}