Honest services fraud is a federal crime defined in the United States Code (statutes) at 18 U.S.C. §1343 and 18 U.S.C. §1346. Honest services fraud is a type of mail or wire fraud in which: (1) there was a scheme or artifice used with the intent to defraud others; (2) the scheme or artifice to defraud was meant to deny others the intangible right of honest services; (3) it was reasonably foreseeable that the scheme or artifice could cause more than minimal financial harm to the victim or victims—even if it ultimately did not; and (4) the scheme or artifice used the U.S. mail or wires (secured, computerized messaging system used by banks to transfer funds and transaction requests).

Federal prosecutors often use the honest services fraud statute to prosecute public officials believed to have engaged in corruption such as payment and receipt of bribery and kickbacks. The honest services fraud statute has also been used by federal prosecutors to charge private individuals who are alleged to have breached a fiduciary duty—to a company in which they are an officer, for example.

In the case of Skilling v. United States, 130 S.Ct. 2896 (2010), the United States Supreme Court interpreted the honest services fraud statute as applying only to fraudulent schemes to deprive another of honest services through bribes or kickbacks provided by a third party who was not deceived—in other words, a party with knowledge that the payments were bribes or kickbacks.

Honest services fraud is a felony and carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in state or federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. When a financial institution is defrauded, the maximum prison sentence is 30 years, with a fine of up to $1,000,000. And each mail or wire transaction related to the fraud is a separate offense that may be charged by prosecutors—with increased potential prison time and fines.

Honest services fraud is a federal crime that falls under the statutes 18 U.S.C. §1343 and 18 U.S.C. §1346. It is a form of mail or wire fraud where the perpetrator intends to defraud others by denying them the intangible right to honest services, and it involves the use of the U.S. mail or wire communications. This type of fraud is often associated with public officials who engage in corrupt practices such as accepting bribes or kickbacks, but it can also apply to private individuals who breach a fiduciary duty. Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Skilling v. United States, the scope of honest services fraud is limited to schemes involving bribes or kickbacks. In Virginia, as in other states, the enforcement of this statute is a federal matter. The penalties for honest services fraud can be severe, with up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, or up to 30 years and fines of $1,000,000 if a financial institution is involved. Each fraudulent mail or wire transaction can be charged separately, potentially increasing the penalties.