In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court overturned the federal bribery conviction of Joseph Percoco, a former aide to disgraced Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had been convicted of illegally helping two companies secure contracts with the state government, Reuters reports.

It’s not a cut-and-dry story, however:  in 2014, during an eight-month period after Percoco resigned from his state government position in the Cuomo administration to run Cuomo’s reelection campaign, Percoco allegedly demanded more than $300,000 to help the companies get contracts with the state government.  Percoco then persuaded an administration official to drop a contractor requirement regarding union labor to allow the companies to compete for the bids.

At trial, prosecutors said Percoco had a “special relationship” with the government that allowed him to “dominate and control” the bidding process, and was therefore guilty of corruption.   His attorneys said he was collecting fees acting essentially as a lobbyist, and therefore could not be acting with a corrupt intent.

While it’s clear he had no direct authority in the bid process, it was also clear at the time that Cuomo was going to win reelection, and Percoco was going to return to the administration, which he did.  So, yeah, it’s not clear-cut corruption, but it’s nearing the line.  While there are federal regulations and some state laws regarding “revolving doors” rules outlining time periods former government or elected officials must restrict themselves from direct, paid lobbying, the laws are soft and frequently circumvented.