The bribery has cut both ways, with the city inspectors convicted in many cases of demanding payoffs in exchange for overlooking violations.

Doctors routinely demand bribes of hundreds of dollars before performing major surgery, and journalists demand payoffs for attending corporate news conferences.

Just before he was shot to death a few weeks ago, the president of the street vendors association said that elected officials had demanded and received payoffs from his group's members.

Some truckers had long complained that the companies demanded payoffs for speedy unloading of their highly perishable products.

The police, he said, harassed them or demanded payoffs.

Conviction Being Appealed The prosecutor said Mr. Biaggi, 70 years old, demanded payoffs and always seemed to want more.

Local chiefs demand payoffs.

Federal officials say some of those groups were actually shake-down operations that demanded payoffs in return for labor peace.

He touches only lightly on the corruption in China's journalistic profession ("and journalists demand payoffs for attending corporate news conferences").

Teachers and doctors do not demand payoffs for their services, as they do in Georgia.