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by jordan0day
4035 days ago
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No, I don't believe it's necessarily illegal to pay someone "hush money" (though it probably depends! laws are awfully vague). I do believe it's illegal to demand to be paid "hush money", though, normally referred to as "blackmail". Presumably the reason the accused used structuring, even if a "hush money" payment itself was legal, was that they would have had to explain why they were making such a large withdrawal -- which doesn't really help for keeping things "hushed". |
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Depends on the jurisdiction. If the act being covered up is illegal, then someone knowing about it is obligated to report it or be an accomplice after the fact, regardless of money changing hands. On the other hand, if the act being covered up is not illegal, merely embarrassing (classic example: an extramarital affair), then it would depend on whether blackmail itself is a crime in itself or only an extension of some other crime.
The description at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackmail would suggest that, in the US, blackmail would be a crime only when some other crime is being covered up. I don't know if that's accurate or complete.