Caught on Tape: Bribes, Public Corruption

March 26, 2009— -- Corrupt cops. Corrupt judges. Corrupt school superintendents. From Tennessee to suburban Washington, D.C. to Arkansas, investigators have found officials on the take. But in some cases, the FBI's caught the misdeeds on secretly recorded surveillance tapes.

In one brazen crime in Tennessee, cameras caught then-Hamilton County Sheriff William Horace "Billy" Long taking thousands in bribes and embracing corruption to the core.

Upon taking a wad of cash from an FBI informant, Long gave his blessing to the man's money-laundering operation.

"They can get all the drugs they want…. they need me to get the money out" of the country, the informant, funeral home operator Rev. Clarence Eugene Overstreet, told the sheriff.

The men also share a laugh about rolling in the cash.

Watch "World News with Charles Gibson" at 6:30 p.m. ET for the full report.

"The Lord is my shepherd; he make me to lay down in green pastures," the informant says, rubbing his fingers together and emphasizing the word "green" to indicate he's talking about cash. In another video clip, Overstreet cautions Long about cash, saying, "Now, it's dope money, so you know, it might be all over the place."

And the sheriff was even willing to give a gun to a man he knew was a convicted felon, ineligible to own one.

"I got you a present, here, a Christmas present," Long said, unzipping his bag to get out the gun. "I'll put it in my Bible," Overstreet said.

"Now it's loaded, ready to go, ok?" Long said, handing over the firearm. "You didn't get that from me, Rev. I don't know nothin' about it," he added, as Overstreet admired the weapon.

Long pleaded guilty to a host of corruption charges in May 2008, and is serving out a 14-year sentence at a federal prison in Arizona. Prosecutors have not charged Overstreet, who testified against Long at trial, with any crimes related to the investigation.

But Long is far from alone. Corruption is rampant across the nation, and is rising as the economy worsens. Police, politicians, top school officials and even judges stand accused of getting illegally paid to play.

"The more resources we throw towards the problem, I think, the more corruption we're finding," said Kenneth W. Kaiser, assistant director of the criminal investigation division at the FBI.