People v. Chacon
Supreme Court of California
150 P.3d 755 (2007)
City council member Chacon (defendant) relied on city attorney Beltran's advice, and a council-approved ordinance he drafted, in becoming city manager and accepting an employment contract, but was later charged with an improper financial interest in that contract under a state conflict-of-interest statute; she raised an entrapment-by-estoppel defense based on reliance on Beltran's legal advice, and the trial court permitted the defense, leading the prosecution to dismiss the case, but the court of appeal reversed, finding Beltran lacked authority to bind the state's statutory interpretation.
Whether entrapment by estoppel prevents the government from prosecuting an individual who acted in reasonable reliance on the government's representation that the conduct in question was lawful.