Reference no: EM133421941

In 2011, Pennsylvania state representative Vanessa Lowery Brown allegedly accepted $4,000 from an undercover operative posing as a lobbyist. The prosecution called it a "textbook case of public corruption," where Brown was offered "envelopes stuffed with cash in exchange for official favors." Brown's defense team, however, claims that she was entrapped by law enforcement. They allege that the undercover operative, Tryon V. Ali, was a "con man" attempting to reduce his own charges for fraud by cooperating with police. Brown also refused to accept cash when it was offered at her first meeting with Ali, which the defense believes demonstrated a lack of predisposition to commit a crime.

In October 2018, Brown was convicted by a jury of bribery, five counts of conflict of interest, and failure to properly file a financial disclosure form. She was sentences to 23 months of probation and ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution. In between her conviction and sentencing, Brown was re-elected to her seat in the Pennsylvania state legislature. She resigned her position in December 2018. In November 2020, an appellate court affirmed Brown's conviction.

Question: Was State Representative Brown entrapped by the government?