Supreme Court Rules Wire Fraud Statute Does Not Require Financial Injury
Date: 09/03/25
On May 22, 2025, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Kousisis v. United States, resolving a circuit split about whether the federal wire fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1343, requires proving that the defendant sought to inflict financial injury on the victim of the fraud. The Court held that § 1343 imposes no such requirement—actionable wire fraud occurs when the defendant engages in fraudulent conduct designed to extract money or property from the victim, regardless of whether the defendant caused, or intended to cause, the victim to suffer economic loss. Under the ruling in Kousisis, a defendant may be convicted of wire fraud when the defendant fraudulently induces someone to enter a transaction, even though the victim suffers no resulting financial harm.
CGR Alert - Supreme Court Rules Wire Fraud Statute Does Not Require Financial Injury.pdf (pdf | 133.53 KB )