Obstruction of Justice
Obstruction of justice is a criminal offense that interferes with a legal investigation or judicial proceeding in the administration of justice. This includes evading a legal process that requires a person to appear or produce documents, intimidating, threatening, or corruptly persuading a witness, juror, or officer, and withholding or preventing truthful testimony.
- Destroying physical evidence
- Deleting relevant files, emails, or text messages
- Altering documents to hide criminal activity
- Bribing law enforcement, prosecutors, or jurors
- Giving false information to law enforcement
- Concealing information from federal agents
Companies and individuals that engage in such practices may face fines and/or prison sentencing.
How Obstruction of Justice Relates to Whistleblowing
Whistleblowers often expose wrongdoing within organizations. When their disclosures threaten the interests of those involved in the misconduct, they may become targets of retaliation. Obstruction of justice can be used to silence whistleblowers and impede investigations.
For instance, if a company is under investigation for fraud, executives may try to intimidate employees who are considering coming forward as whistleblowers. They might threaten job loss, wage cuts, or even physical harm. Such actions can be considered obstruction of justice.
