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Secret Service Agent Pleads Guilty In Bitcoin Theft
An anonymous reader writes: A former Secret Service agent has pleaded guilty to charges related to the theft of $800,000 worth of bitcoins during a high-profile investigation into the online drug marketplace Silk Road. Reuters reports: "Shaun Bridges, 33, appeared in federal court in San Francisco and admitted to money laundering and obstruction of justice....In court on Monday, Bridges admitted his theft made Ulbricht believe that another individual was stealing from Silk Road and helped lead Ulbricht to try to hire someone to kill that person."
While article 1, section 6, clause 1 of the Constitution provides some immunity for officials, it's pretty specific. It protects Congress, so it wouldn't apply to the Secret Service. It doesn't protect against being charged with a felony, treason, or "breach of the peace," the last of which is pretty vague. Basically, it subjects Congress to being charged with certain misdemeanors. It protects members of Congress while they're on duty or on their way to or from sessions of Congress. The purpose was to protect Congress from being charged with crimes so as to interfere with Congress from their legislative duties. There's not a lot of actual immunity for government officials from criminal prosecution.
There is something called sovereign immunity, which isn't actually mentioned in the Constitution. This is protection from civil lawsuits rather than criminal prosecution. It's a common law principle that the courts have defined and upheld through precedent. It protects the government from monetary damages, but not from otherwise resolving legitimate grievances (the right to petition the government for redress of grievances in the first amendment). Government employees can't be sued for performing their duties or for the result of mistakes made during their duties. However, they can be sued for deliberate acts. Congress has the ability to waive sovereign immunity.
Congress has the ability to grant immunity, as well. While not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, a member of the Secret Service wouldn't be charged with a crime for actions consistent with his or her duty to protect the life of the President. However, a member of the Secret Service who deliberately commits an illegal act beyond the duties of his or her job can still be charged with a crime and prosecuted.
Immunity is pretty limited, and certainly won't protect this individual from prosecution.
random murder of the perps is OK, stealing money that the Feds planned on seizing isn't. This is America, and he "stole" a pretty decent amount.