History Main / ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney

[[AC:''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'']

* In '[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10602244/15/The-Last-Tribute The Last Tribute]]'' from ''Fanfic/TheEndOfTheWorld'' series, Haymitch invokes this by having one of his sponsors talk about what a shame it is that their slaves to the rules say only one tribute can survive the Hunger Games.

* ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'': [[Characters/QueenOfAllOni Anton Mortimer]] is confident that this basically grants him absolute immunity to threaten the J-Team however he wants,

* The Graysons in ''Series/{{Revenge}}'' seem to live on this trope. Watching their every attempt to invoke this blow up in their faces is...satisfying.

* ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'': Chris Hargensen's father is a rich AmoralAttorney who regularly employs LoopholeAbuse to ensure she never faces the consequences of her bullying actions. He got her into Oberlin despite her poor grades, and when she's banned from attending the prom for taunting Carrie over her first period in the shower, he threatens to sue the school unless they let Chris attend; he's forced to back off when the principal shows him Chris' long record of violations, declaring that they could easily have Chris locked up for them.

** Oddly enough, this is the point of Islamic law's prescription of cutting off a hand as punishment for theft. Today, most of the world finds this barbaric, but it made a great deal of sense in seventh-century Arabia: they couldn't really afford to imprison anyone[[note]]Which is why Islamic law has rules regulating but not forbidding slavery--remember that slavery in ancient and medieval societies was a way to deal with prisoners of war. The early Muslims took [=POWs=] as slaves because the state couldn't afford to run POW camps; indeed, the idea of a POW camp would have been rather alien to a 7th-century person even of a culture that probably could afford to incarcerate [=POWs=].[[/note]] but obviously imposing a fine for theft would mean that the punishment would be disproportionally harsh to the poor. Losing a hand, though? Even rich people would hate to part with a hand.

* ''Literature/The120DaysOfSodom'': The depraved [[AristocratsAreEvil Duke de Blangis]] openly boasts that his money and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections position in society]] will prevent him from ever facing justice for his numerous crimes. [[KarmaHoudini He's correct.]]

* Colin from the ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]'' games has this as his [[LimitBreak CO Super Power]]. By hoarding up loads and loads of money, it's possible for even his weakest infantry unit to [[DeathOfAThousandCuts wipe out an enemy Neotank in one shot.]] In ''Advance Wars: Dual Strike'', his sister, Sasha, has a CO Power (Market Crash) that comes as close to screwing the rules as any CO Power in the game by actually lowering the enemy's CO Power meter by an amount decided by how much money you have.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'':
** There was an episode in which a [[YourWorstNightmare nightmare version]] of the boys' Uncle Scrooge tells them, "I'm RICH! I can do ANYTHING!!"
** Scrooge's biggest rival, Flintheart Glomgold, is a much more genuine example of this trope on the show.

%%%* Edward's attitude in ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo''.





* This trope turned up on ''WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons'' in the ''Super Santa'' short "Naughty". The villain was a descendant of [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]] named Elmer Scrooge, whose first scene had him boast that being wealthy enabled him to do whatever he wanted.

* Augustus St. Cloud in ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' throws money around to bypass regulations of the Guild of Calamitous Intent, and states that his super-power is [[ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount "hav[ing] an inordinate amount of money"]].
* In the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', Rupert Thorne attempts to bribe Batman by offering him a percentage of the profits he's gained from his crimes. Batman, of course, doesn't accept the bribe and turns him in like any other criminal.

* Lord Arthwipe in ''The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle Episode 1: A Dreadly Business'' puts it somewhat more baldly than most examples of this trope.
-->'''Lord Arthwipe:''' I have done some terrible things in my time. Fortunately I am so rich I am above the law.

* {{Exaggerated}} and PlayedForLaughs in the ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'' episode "Jopallian Japers", where an explanatory text box explains that the governor of Jopall is able to have a magnet that attracts nonmetallic stuff because when you have enough money, you can break the rules, even [[BeyondTheImpossible those of physics]]. Ironically, the same character mostly does play by the rules in the normal sense -- because he makes them and they all favour him.

* {{Parodied|Trope}} in [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1333#comic this]] ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' strip, where someone with overwhelming evidence of a wealthy celebrity shooting him in the stomach is charged with bullet theft.
* ''Webcomic/{{Mulberry}}'': NonIdleRich girl Mulberry Sharona manages to pull off such schemes as messing with Presidential elections and staging a fight between Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. She even once declared, "I fear no authority!"

* Ezekiel Nightingale from ''Webcomic/CwynhildsLoom'' clearly has no issue in using his wealth and status to do whatever he pleases.
* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Played with in various ways. While the mercenaries ''claim'' that they are OnlyInItForTheMoney, they often turn to ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules instead. Minor characters are often seen being bribed by villains, and Ceeta once tried this despite the fact that she was cut off from resupply.
-->'''Tagon:''' You're trying to bait me with money you don't even ''have''.\\
'''Ceeta:''' But you're hungry enough to fall for it, right?

* ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' has their list of [[http://www.cracked.com/article_22422_5-unbelievable-ways-rich-assholes-get-to-cheat-through-life.html the five unbelievable ways that rich assholes cheat their way through life]].

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': In "Rufus in Show", Ron bribes the committee [[ComicallySmallBribe with 5 dollars]]. Kim is stunned that it works.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** C. Montgomery Burns, Springfield's resident centenarian and lone plutocrat, once tried to block out the sun just to squeeze more money out of the townsfolk (since he owns the town's only power company), shrugs off serious allegations and charges with money and bribes, but still indulges in that joyful pastime of [[ForTheEvulz stealing candy from babies]], with both disastrous results and [[HilarityEnsues hilarious consequences.]]
** After Burns gets caught by the EPA hiding barrels of toxic waste:
--->'''Judge Snyder:''' Mr. Burns, in light of your unbelievable contempt for human life, this court fines you $3 million.\\
'''Mr. Burns:''' Smithers, my wallet's in my right front pocket. Oh, and I'll take that statue of justice too.\\
'''Judge Snyder:''' Sold!
** In [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie The Movie]], he even gets away with releasing attack dogs upon ''The Chief of Police''. Of course, given [[BadCopIncompetentCop who said Chief of Police is]]...
** Mayor Diamond Joe Quimby. According to the Gabbo episode, he misappropriates city funding to pay assassins to murder political rivals of his. In an episode where his nephew is accused of assault and battery, he immediately begins trying to bribe the jury to ensure he gets off.
* Mom is basically a female expy of Mr. Burns in the year 3000 in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''.
* Princess Morbucks from ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls''. "I have the most powerful power there is! Cold, hard cash!"
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'':
** Remy Buxaplenty. The fact that [[WriterOnBoard Butch Hartman]] was picked on by rich kids in high school has ''absolutely nothing'' to do with the character's horribly exaggerated portrayal, really. To be fair, he was given a FreudianExcuse when it was revealed that [[ParentalNeglect his parents constantly ignore him]] and he antagonizes Timmy because he's jealous of the fact that Timmy has both a set of loving parents (well, more loving than Remy's, at least) and Fairy Godparents. As the series went on, Remy's actions seemed to have less to do with his family issues and more to do with Remy just acting like a douche for no reason. Hell, even before we found out about his parents he was like that, where he bought every ticket to the new Crash Nebula movie ''just for his piles of money''.
** Timmy, meanwhile, may have an infinite amount of magical wishes at his fingertips, but he actually ''doesn't'' have infinite magical wealth at his fingertips, as shown in one episode where he wishes for a large sum of money so he can get tickets to a concert, only to find out that it's against the rules; fairies can't grant any wishes that break the law, and magically creating money would require either stealing or counterfeiting.
** [[CorruptCorporateExecutive The Pixies]] subtly invoked this in ''WesternAnimation/SchoolsOutTheMusical''. When Flappy Bob asks why are they floating, they claim that it's because they have the money to do it, and walking is for poor people.
* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures''.
** Montana Max uses his vast wealth to push the other characters around and owns heavily polluting industries that make inane things like ice cream spoons and portable holes.
** The sometime foils to Buster and Babs, Roderick and Rhubella Rat. For example, they smoke in non-smoking areas (in most places that would get you thrown out), ban Buster and Babs from a public golf course (that they own), and in ''Acme Bowl'' Roderick and some of his classmates bribe Plucky into revealing the Toon's playbook secrets. [[spoiler:Or so they assume; Plucky is actually a FakeDefector.]]

%%%* Edward's attitude in ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo''.

* David Xanatos of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''. His introduction to viewers included the phrase "Pay a man enough and he'll walk barefoot into hell." The guy owns everything, all the shiny toys, all the best lawyers, everything. A fan joke is that Xanatos is so rich, he could afford to pay all the people necessary to say "hell" in a children's cartoon series. A DISNEY children's cartoon series, no less.
** However, part of his character development is the realization that not everything can be solved by money and manipulation.
*** For example, he can't buy his way out of a prison sentence for receiving stolen property.
*** He did get the sentence shortened to a month. When he should have been in prison for years for orchestrating the entire theft. Again, [[XanatosGambit all part of]] [[ThePlan the plan.]] In this case, to show himself a good citizen.
* In ''WesternAnimation/HerculesTheAnimatedSeries'', the king of {{Atlantis}}, Croesus, bribes Hades and the Fates to prevent losses following a prophecy involving his city sinking. In the end, Atlantis sinks, complete with Hades returning his check and cracking "[[{{Pun}} your bank went under]]". Another episode has Adonis delivering checks to all before him in a queue to get attended quickly - ''three times''!

* ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'':
** "You Can't Take It With You". The villain in the episode was an [[EvilOldFolks old miser]] who had built a device that would send his wealth to the afterlife, in effect, allowing him to take it with him. ("I didn't spend my whole life becoming rich just to leave it all to charity!" he rants.) Naturally, he doesn't give a damn about the adverse effects the device will have on the environment; and this isn't a case of a villain just not ''knowing'' it's dangerous either, he made sure that ''he'' was well protected. When the machine causes an endless mob of ghosts to spill out and Egon discovers that it will cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, the heroes are forced to confront him and fool him into taking himself out.
** The Ghostbusters' smarmy, filthy rich, smug rival Paul Smart from the episode "Robo Buster" also acted like he was above the law (ex. stealing the Ghostbusters' weapon designs with no qualms or consequences) and got away with it until his flawed ghostbusting robot put the entire city in danger.
* The main characters of ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'' have this in its ultimate incarnation: "Screw the rules, the world economy would fail without us!" One episode also featured a movie producer rich enough to push even Dethklok around.
** More like he was enough of a JerkAss to think he could get away with it. Par for the course, that doesn't end well for him.
* [[RichBitch Rusty McCabe]] in ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt''. The town mayor is his parents' old friend and is more than eager to bend the rules of the great city scavenger hunt in his favor ("Remote Possibility"). Similarly, he takes Linda on a date to an amusement park owned by his parents and inexplicably seems to win all the time (the employees are threatened with being fired if he ever loses). ("Carnival Knowledge")
* Gordie Gibble on ''WesternAnimation/KickButtowski'' is this. Not only did he make his dad buy the "Go-Go-Go Kart World" just to spite Kick, but then tried to cheat in the go-kart race using dirty tricks and gadgets he'd bought with big money. He has also tried to beat Kick in BMX races using his money rather than his talent as a BMX "Legend".

* This was the attitude of the Terrible Trio, a three-man gang who appeared on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. Basically, they were three {{Spoiled Brat}}s from very rich families who committed crimes simply for fun (brutally injuring more than one person in the process) and thought they were untouchable because of it. Batman's opinion of them summed it up perfectly:
-->'''Batman:''' People like this are worse than the Joker. At least ''he'' has ''madness'' as an excuse.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'', the main character Jay Sherman's boss is a Ted Turner-analogue named Duke Philips. His wealth is flaunted throughout the series, most notably when he pays Webster's Dictionary to create a new word just so he can win a game of Scrabble. In another episode, he has to rehire Jay Sherman after firing him prompting this exchange:
-->'''Jay:''' You can't put a price tag on my humiliation!\\
''[Duke hands over a check]''\\
'''Jay:''' Wow! That's it to the penny.

* Colin from the ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]'' games has this as his [[LimitBreak CO Super Power]]. By hoarding up loads and loads of money, it's possible for even his weakest infantry unit to [[DeathOfAThousandCuts wipe out an enemy Neotank in one shot.]] In ''Advance Wars: Dual Strike'', his sister, Sasha, has a CO Power (Market Crash) that comes as close to screwing the rules as any CO Power in the game by actually lowering the enemy's CO Power meter by an amount decided by how much money you have.
** Also, neither of these CO powers use up the money that they run on, so you can use them repeatedly, each time the effects thereof growing stronger (provided you don't spend more money on a turn than the next one will replace).
** Just to make Colin's power even scarier, he has a 20% price cut on all his troops at the expense of some combat power. So he can get his neotanks for only a little more than his enemy is buying their heavy tanks. ZergRush is scary enough, but it becomes ''really'' scary when the "Zerglings" are doing 300% of your health in damage.
* The "Montana Legal" upgrade in ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours'' slows police response times to half the pre-upgrade speed, giving Tony Montana some much-needed time to carry out his questionable deeds. Interestingly, in the original film, it was attempting to evade tax for his considerable profits that started Tony's downfall.
* CEO Nwabudike Morgan from ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri''. His only goal is to conquer the Fiction500 rankings... but what if a law prevents him from doing so? No sweat! He just pays his lobby groups and bribes the local legislators to have it changed.
** And one of the winning conditions for the game is to take over the global economy.
** In the backstory, his company was one of the major financiers of the ''Unity'', so he bribed the engineers to install a secret [[HumanPopsicle cryo-pod]] just for him. He claimed that being part-owner of the ship gave him that right.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. The rocket launcher. Able to OneHitKill ''anything in the game''. The downside? It's expensive (thus this trope), [[AwesomeButImpractical has only one use, and takes up an assload of inventory space until you do use it.]] Generally used to skip the player's personal [[ThatOneBoss One Boss]].
** And then you unlock and buy the Infinite Launcher, which is more expensive but takes up no more space. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin You can guess how many shots you get with it...]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Ruiner}}'' takes this trope to its logical extreme when a megacorporate dictator creates a new world order with a currency ''centered'' around economic caste systems: [[IronicName Karma]]. Karma can best be described as tax-free shares of the world itself; your karma balance determines the range of free goods and services (dividends) you receive each cycle. While karma can be exchanged, it's usually more profitable to hold onto the stuff and get supplies and labor, provided by the state, for the rest of your life. And, as befitting a dystopia, it's practically legal to murder outlaws for their karma, while those with karma typically offer jobs only when they need some heads popped. In short, if you have enough Karmic wealth, typically earned not through honest labor but violent wet-work, you can get away with anything, get into the upper ranks of society (called '[[LightIsNotGood Heaven]]')... ''and you won't have to pay a dime''.

* It is possible to completely avoid the fight with Mephistopheles at the end of ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights: Hordes of the Underdark'' and get different endings by [[IKnowYourTrueName obtaining knowledge of his true name]]. The one person who can tell it to you will give it up for the small fee of 600,000 gold pieces.
** It sounds big, but you can definitely scrounge up more than that over the course of the game without cheating.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' not only can you bribe monsters (including some bosses) into leaving you alone, but also into giving you items.
** And then there's the Aeon Yojimbo, who you recruit by haggling an astronomic amount of money and the damage of whose attacks are based on how much money you pay him before each attack. He can even kill any enemy (even bosses) in one hit if you pay him enough (though the amount scales with how powerful the enemy is).
* Armacham Corporation in ''[[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.E.A.R.]]''
** Good luck buying off ''Alma'', though.
* Ratchet, of ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'', generally only survives whatever it is he's gotten involved with because he can buy [[{{BFG}} guns significantly larger than himself]].
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', Link can bribe a guard with ten rupees to let him sneak into Hyrule Castle. A bit pointless, as there is a nearby vine you can climb up for free and you can't bribe any of the other guards past him, but what the hey?
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''[='=]s President Shinra's view on life:
-->'''These days, all it takes for your dreams to come true is money and power.'''

* It's the defining feature of self-professed Objectivist and Rapture founder Andrew Ryan in the first two ''VideoGame/BioShock'' games, as money plus power and influence seems to do more of the talking in his life even after he set up the societal rules of Rapture and ended up breaking them when Fontaine and Atlas proved to be formidable enemies. The trope is institutionalized by the city's Bot Shutdown stations. Caught by a camera or set off an alarm? For a couple of bucks, those hostile security robots will fall out of the sky and leave you be.
* ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations II''. Did you pick the Evil choice in every KarmaMeter event, then researched the tech that unlocks the alignment bonuses and decided you like the Neutral or Good rewards better? Don't worry, just buy whatever alignment you want with the money you made from being so bad.
* ''[[VideoGame/AncientDomainsOfMystery ADOM]]''. The game's powerful divine beings accept all kinds of sacrifices, but by far the most efficient is cold, hard golden cash. Regardless of how often the player has changed alignments, worshiped other gods, and regardless of the horrifying [[ChaoticEvil evils]] (for lawful gods) or dreadful [[LawfulGood goods]] (for chaotic gods) he has wrought, sacrifice enough money and you go from despised, hated and doomed by the gods to a blessed champion of his cause in one fell swoop. Gold can also be used to pump most of the in-game attributes, ad infinitum, and to violate the rules of time and space: Using a blessed girdle of greed in conjunction with talents that increase carrying capacity by a percentage, players can actually carry more weight the more gold they carry; the only limit being the integer range (a large enough pile of gold will convert into negatives). None of these facts would constitute a GameBreaker, were it not for the fact that players can obtain huge amounts of money fairly easily by exploiting certain bugs and game features.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'': {{Prince Charmles|s}} shows just how little respect he has for the whole RiteOfPassage when he has Eight and his companions do all the hard work hunting down an Argonian Lizard to harvest its heart, then thumbs his nose at their hard work by ''buying'' a heart in the marketplace. When they call him on it, he blows them off and gleefully presents the bought heart at his initiation ceremony, [[BlatantLies claiming to have singlehandedly slain the beast and harvested it himself]]. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite him BIG TIME down the line, as his father ''saw'' him buying the heart, and lets Charmles keep lying about it until finally slamming him with an ''EPIC'' calling out at what would have been his wedding ceremony. To further twist the knife, in the best ending, he ends up losing his status as heir to his newly discovered long-lost cousin... who went through the trial already.]]
* Used several times in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series, when the culprit turns out to be a person in a position of money and/or power. The most blatant example is in ''Investigations'' when [[spoiler:Ernest Amano finds out that his son was potentially the murderer. After using his extended resources to actually be more effective than the police in searching the park for evidence, he actually ''buys'' the haunted house that contains the crime scene. Fortunately, Little Thief is there to save the day and recreate the scene.]]
** As well in the first case, [[spoiler: Redd White]] has so much money [[spoiler: and has so many people blackmailed and panicked to do anything to stop him]] that he literally almost gets away with murder during the first half of the case because nobody feels safe to say anything and the girl on the stand, April May, doesn't seem to know him [[spoiler: or at least doesn't want to get herself killed]]. When you finally do confront this jerk, [[spoiler: he]] freely punches Phoenix, dares him to do something about it, and says that tomorrow [[spoiler: he]] will testify in court in order to prove their own innocence [[spoiler: and finger Phoenix as the murderer]].
** Also subverted in ''Justice For All'' by Max Galactica. He tells Phoenix he's SURE he won't be convicted of murder because he's rich and famous. When Phoenix points out that it doesn't work like that, Max panics. He's innocent, but you get him off the charge the proper way.

* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate 2'', the Cowled Wizards [[BanOnMagic make sure that nobody uses magic in Amn without their approval]]. They will even chew you out and try to arrest you if you use it to defend yourself from a bloodthirsty vampire or a gang of robbers who also use magic. You can avoid this hassle by purchasing a "license" (read: bribe) for the [[MoneyForNothing low, low cost]] of 5000 gp.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' trilogy has a lot of this, especially II and III. Someone report you to the guards for...murder, public indecency, assault, theft, vandalism, setting people on fire, you simply pay them and they go away. Same thing if there's something in a house you want and it's night. You buy the house, kick out the residents, and take what you want.
** Also during the first part of ''VideoGame/FableII'', if you make enough money, you can buy the second-best class of longsword way before you should be able to, turning most sword fights for some time into a CurbStompBattle. You can also BUY experience vials, drink them, and get absurdly strong, fast, and powerful. Similar with augments, so you can turn ordinary swords into an InfinityMinusOneSword.
** It is also possible to buy powerful weapons in ''VideoGame/FableIII'', you still need the skills to make them effective, but good chance they will be stronger than current weapons, some upgrades also require you to spend money.
* In ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri'', there is a man in Loc Lac City who makes a fortune selling Monster Cola. He lets his wealth go to his head and soon adopts this attitude. However, he doesn't get away with rule-screwing for long and he loses all his money when he sends out a tainted batch of cola. But when he's dirt poor again, he decides to invert this trope entirely:
-->'''Uppity Instructor:''' Screw the rules! I'm broke as dirt!
* ''VideoGame/DuneII'': House Ordos is a mercantile House that is only concerned with generating revenue to sustain the elite class of their society. As a result, they rely heavily on hired mercenaries to do their fighting for them. But as long as they can safely get to the spice melange and harvest it for their own benefit, they absolutely do not care how many expendable pawns they have to buy off and send against their enemies.

* In ''VideoGame/MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries'', on the final mission of one contract, you're sent to destroy the base used by the enemy forces. When you're halfway up the mountain to it, you'll receive a message from the enemy: "Attention mercenary. Whatever the Snakes are paying you, we'll double it. Just turn around and go back to your dropship." You can take the offer if you'd like, which results in you getting double the cash that the base contract offers but eliminates the chance of procuring salvage (you also have to fight your employer's two somewhat tough mechs instead of the enemy's four less tough mechs, though you can also take advantage of the fact that they don't turn hostile until you either cross a certain point on the map or kill one of them).
* [[PlayerCharacter Hawke]] of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' could be considered a heroic version ([[VideoGameCrueltyPotential or not]]) of this trope. Ostensibly, the goal of the Deep Roads Expedition was to make you so rich that you or your mage sister would be completely out of reach to the [[MageKiller templars]]. Unlike most examples of this trope, however, Hawke doesn't seem to do much with their wealth other than use it to keep themselves living comfortably outside of the Circle, an act which is still illegal for mages in almost all the nations of Thedas.
* In the IdleGame ''VideoGame/ClickingBad'', one can hire corrupt lawyers to keep the heat off, and occasionally bribe DEA officials to not raid their drug labs.
* In ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'', the first episode implies the Prescotts, by virtue of their wealth, own the town and the cops, and if you tell the headteacher you saw their son waving a gun around, he finds it hard to believe and it's implied he merely scolds the boy. Worse still, the school is obviously a rich kid school, and the headteacher comes down harder on you for being a scholarship student.
* Jorji Costava of ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'' attempts to bribe the inspector to allow him into Arstotska, and no matter how many times he's detained he always pops back up within a few days, having paid off the police to let him free. It's subverted on the day the criminal bulletin is introduced; he ends up on it despite having paid someone to remove his name.
* Lord Arthwipe in ''The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle Episode 1: A Dreadly Business'' puts it somewhat more baldly than most examples of this trope.
-->'''Lord Arthwipe:''' I have done some terrible things in my time. Fortunately I am so rich I am above the law.

* ''VideoGame/RandalsMonday'': During the [[spoiler:prison chapters]], Randal manages to corner the market on matches.
* In the world of ''VideoGame/PennyPunchingPrincess'', money is power. The title character can use this to her advantage by bribing monsters she doesn't want to fight or buying traps to turn against her enemies. In the most extreme circumstances, she can even [[HeroicSecondWind nullify her own death]] if she has enough money.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea D2|ABrighterDarkness}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 5|AllianceOfVengeance}}'', if a Dark Assembly bill gets voted down by the Senate you can pay cash to pass the bill yourself. And if that doesn't work or you don't have enough money, there's always spilling BloodOnTheDebateFloor as your last option.
* {{Implied|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2''. A [[StoryBreadcrumbs Sunken Scroll]] reveals that all of the [[LimitBreak Specials]] from the first game were recalled due to safety concerns, leading to the creation of the new batch currently used in ink battles. However, [[spoiler: in the [[DownloadableContent Octo Expansion]], we find out that the [[Fiction500 comically-wealthy]] Pearl still has a [[BrownNote Killer Wail]], an old Special]].
* In ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'', [[TheGoodKing Avad]] reached a compromise of this sort with his more conservative subjects. Women still can't become soldiers, ''but'' if wealthy aristocratic women want to join the machine-fighting Hunters' Lodge, that's fine. This is presented not as societal corruption but as a step in the right direction, taken in the only way it could be.
* Cough up some cash in ''VideoGame/PizzaTycoon'' and the police will let you get away with crimes and whatnot. Of course, if you are [[SpySpeak open about what you are doing,]] or lack the funds, you'll just make things worse for yourself.

* Bribery is a large part of [=MacNamara=]'s modus operandi throughout ''Film/OneTwoThree'', which e. g. enables him to [[spoiler: have Otto's and Scarlett's wedding papers removed from the East Berlin registry office and later returned and to get Count von Droste-Schattenburg to adopt Otto Piffl.]] Luckily for him, the Communists don't ask for that much and he can force Otto to vouch for part of the expenses.

* The Syndicate in ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension''. One memorable description of vulgar (i.e. obviously magical) Syndicate magic, found on rpgnet courtesy of a Mr. "Random Nerd":
-->"Okay, and then I use my carefully cultivated financial contacts to... uh... you know what? Fuck it. Hey, you there, fire hydrant. If you turn into a flamethrower, I will give you two hundred dollars."

* ''TabletopGame/BloodBowl'':
** The game is so inured with this trope that the referees' guild has guidelines for when and how one can accept a bribe for [[EasilyDistractedReferee looking the other way]], as well as union-regulated standards for the going rate of a bribe. Clubs (with the exception of goblins) are not allowed to offer less than the going rate.
** According to the fluff, high elf teams, who are made up ''entirely'' of [[Fiction500 moneyed high elf nobles]], frequently bribe opposing team players to play poorly.
* The ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' campaign setting of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' introduced the Merkhants, a sect with this outlook. The Merkhants were an organization of wealthy people who believed that the secret to understanding the universe was to own enough material wealth to ''buy'' its secrets. They believed that everything had a price and that if there were things that couldn't be bought, such things weren't worth owning. Player Characters could join this group, so long as they were incredibly wealthy and had a non-Good alignment (because acquiring wealth for its own sake, while not necessarily Evil, is not considered a Good act).
* ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'':
** This is the Yasuki family of the Crab Clan in a nutshell: they're a family of merchants in a setting that views commerce in the same vein as blackmail, prostitution, and gambling. Yet, everyone still does business with them, because they know how to get what people want and they have access to a ''lot'' of money.
** The Yoritomo Courtiers of the Mantis Clan also hold this point of view... and if you disagree, [[LoanShark they'll break your kneecaps.]]
* The Entrepreneur specialization in Fantasy Flight's ''TabletopGame/StarWarsRoleplayingGame'' is all about this. Not only bribing others to upgrade social checks, but spending credits to ignore the Strain penalties caused by Obligation, and automatically pass knowledge rolls.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' basically has this built into its setting: The very first thing said about life in the Sixth World in the 5th edition rulebook is "Everything has a Price". If it exists, cash can be used to get it. InUniverse, part of the setting's {{dystopia}} came about thanks to a pair of Supreme Court decisions that created the concept of Corporate Extraterratoriality. To make a long story short: If your MegaCorp is big enough, you are your own nation. This has essentially dismantled the concept of the 20th-century nation-state, with the surviving governments being at best second-tier to moneyed interests that make Standard Oil look like some five-year-old kid's sidewalk lemonade stand.

* ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'': Used by Cyrano after he refuses to apologize to the Burgundy Theater's audience for the interruption of ''[[ShowWithinAShow The Clorise]]'' because ''The Clorise'' [[FanDumb was a bad play and all the audience members are wrong because they wanted to see it]]. He pays Bellerose for all the entrance fees so they can give it back to the public.
* ''Theatre/TwistedTheUntoldStoryOfARoyalVizier'': The main point of the Royal Vizier's song "The Golden Rule (Reprise)".
* ''Theatre/ThatChampionshipSeason'' includes in its cast CorruptCorporateExecutive Phil Romano, a strip-mining mogul who buys off local policemen and politicians including Mayor George Sikowski, his high school friend and fellow state basketball championship team member, to secure cushy terms for the land lease for his mining operations. When it looks as though George's re-election bid will fail and his opponent, Norman Sharmen, is targeting the strip mines as part of his election campaign, Phil tries to offer him a generous donation if he will drop his anti-mine platform; Sharmen refuses.

* ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'':
-->''[being shot at by Spaceballs]''\\
'''Vespa:''' Hey, I don't have to put up with this... I'm rich!

* ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' gives us [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Henry F. Potter]], "the richest and meanest man in the county." He owns virtually every business in the small town of Bedford Falls, and most of the housing--that is, until Peter and Billy Bailey form the Bailey Building and Loan Bank to provide quality homes to the poor, cutting in on Potter's profits. It's all but stated that Potter's business practices are illegal: George mentions that, during the Depression, Potter "stole" the town's livelihood by buying up all the stock in whatever he could get his hands on from the terrified citizens. He's also not above bribery and threats, but he truly crosses the MoralEventHorizon when Billy inadvertently gives him the Building and Loan's cash supply of $8,000 before he can deposit it in the bank. Even though Potter ''knows'' that Uncle Billy is looking for the money and exactly what happened to it, he still keeps it (committing grand larceny), arranges to have George Bailey arrested for the supposed crime, and, to twist the knife further, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech delivers a cruel speech]] about George is "worth more dead than alive." It's somehow [[FromBadToWorse even worse]] in the reality where George was never born, as Potter was able to seize control of the entire town, [[{{Egopolis}} name it after himself]], and turn it into a WretchedHive where everyone is horrifically depressed and morally bankrupt.
* Implied in ''Film/PrettyInPink''. The heroine is [[PotteryBarnPoor poor]] and looked down on, and when she sticks up for a friend being teased by a rich girl, she gets sent to the Principal's office. There she explains that every once in a while she gets annoyed with the system, while he blithely brushes her off with 'If you send the message you don't want to fit in, you won't.' She promptly calls him out and says sarcastically 'That's a wonderful thought'.
* The end scene of ''Film/SmallSoldiers'' is most likely a parody of this. Stuart (the father of the protagonist) tells the CEO of the company that made the titular soldiers that money cannot possibly compensate for the trauma they've been put through. Turns out it can, and he does several times just to prove the point.
* The resolution of ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'' revolved around this concept. It was alluded to rather blatantly in an old draft of the script, but it was removed at the behest of the director, who felt it was too obvious.
* Darwin and Minerva Mayflower from ''Film/HudsonHawk''.
* Pick a ''Film/JamesBond'' villain. Any one will do.
* Subverted in ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'' when Cal Hockley attempts to buy his way into a lifeboat, only to have the money thrown back in his face just before the officer he gave it to commits suicide.

* In the end scene of ''Film/RoboCop2'', [[MegaCorp Omni Consumer Products]] management mentions putting the blame on someone else, bribing witnesses, etc.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive E.P. Royalton in the film version of ''Film/SpeedRacer''. Pops Racer explicitly states he distrusts Royalton for this very reason.
* Following a violent bank robbery in ''Film/DeadPresidents'', one of the robbers (who is also a preacher) feels remorse for his crimes and reflects that God cannot forgive him now. He even refers to the crooks' loot as "dirty money." One of his partners tries to reassure him by saying: "Now you can buy your way into Heaven."

* Al Czervik's behavior in ''Film/{{Caddyshack}}'' is tolerated only because he brings a lot of money to Bushwood Country Club.
* The entire plot of ''Film/WallStreet'' seems to play off this trope, specifically when Gordon Gekko tells Bud Fox to do some things for him which would violate trade laws.
* J.W. Grant in ''Film/TheProfessionals''.

* In ''Film/AddamsFamilyReunion'', the family is mistakenly invited to another family's reunion, and when it looks like the eccentric billionaire grandfather is going to leave his money to the Addamses instead of his greedy relatives, the rich family reports Gomez and Morticia to a DepartmentOfChildDisservices, steals Wednesday and Pugsley away, buries Lurch alive, and has Fester thrown in an insane asylum. But luckily, the grandfather uses his power and wealth to bail Gomez and Morticia out of jail, rescue Lurch before he runs out of oxygen, and rescue Fester from the asylum, while Wednesday and Pugsley take care of their foster family themselves.
* ''The Secret World of James Bond 007'', a companion book for the ''Film/JamesBond'' film series, invokes this in the ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'' entry. In that film, Bond carried a gadget briefcase whose contents included "two plastic straps carrying 25 gold sovereigns. Useful for unforeseen expenses... ''or for bribing one's way out of trouble.'' "
* ''Film/BatmanBegins'': A more benign example than most is when Bruce Wayne bought a fancy restaurant when a staff member told him his dates couldn't play in the fountain.
* Beautifully subverted in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' with John Daggett, who is funding Bane and thinks that makes him in charge.
-->'''Daggett:''' I am in charge!\\
'''Bane:''' ''[puts his hand on Daggett's shoulder]'' Do you ''feel'' in charge?\\
'''Daggett:''' ''[visibly terrified]'' I paid you a small fortune!\\
'''Bane:''' And this gives you ''power'' over me?\\
''[Dagget's life is over a few seconds later]''
* ''Film/CatsEye''. After Cressner goes back on his word and [[spoiler:reveals that he has murdered his wife]], he tries to buy his way out by offering an enraged and gun-toting Norris millions of dollars. Norris has a much better plan for revenge -- make Cressner the same offer to walk around the ledge and gain his freedom as the one he offered him.
* Eun-yi of ''Film/TheHousemaid2010'' has the mother of her employer try to kill her via an engineered accident and receives a check in the hospital in repayment for her accident. In the hospital, Miss Cho reveals that this is not the first time that a housemaid has suffered an accident and then been given a payment to keep her quiet.

* This trope is zig-zagged in ''Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet.'' On the one hand, Jordan Belfort's able to get out of various crimes due to his wealth, including insider trading, damages caused by his wild partying, sexual assault, flagrant drug use, and operating a car while in a "cerebral palsy" state due to overdosing on Quaaludes. On the other hand, his attempts to bribe the FBI agent investigating him fall flat, and his attempts to subvert the system (he wears a wire on his partners in return for a shorter sentence but attempts to inform them of it), wind up busting him even further and sending him to prison. [[spoiler: But then it turns out the prison he's going to is a minimum-security, white-collar prison designed for people of his wealth, and he's out in three years, promptly going back to a life of making money (albeit less so than before). It's up to the viewer if the experiences of the film made him really repent, or if he's still the same selfish monster and only became a functioning addict and isn't attracting Federal heat anymore.]]
* In ''Film/{{Annie 2014}}'', a few large dollar bills to the social services woman is all it takes to speed along the process for the paperwork for Annie's temporary adoption by Stacks to go through.
* Bribery is a large part of [=MacNamara=]'s modus operandi throughout ''Film/OneTwoThree'', which e. g. enables him to [[spoiler: have Otto's and Scarlett's wedding papers removed from the East Berlin registry office and later returned and to get Count von Droste-Schattenburg to adopt Otto Piffl.]] Luckily for him, the Communists don't ask for that much and he can force Otto to vouch for part of the expenses.
* The premise of the creation of the snuff film at the centre of ''Film/EightMM''

* A legendary behind-the-scenes example occurred during the filming of ''Film/GoneWithTheWind.'' That most famous of lines--Rhett Butler's "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"--got director Victor Fleming in a ''lot'' of trouble with the Hayes Office, which controlled the "moral integrity" of films through its restrictive Hayes Code. Swearing was considered an offense worthy of a big fine, and to his credit, Fleming did have the scriptwriters come up with an alternate version: "Frankly, my dear, I just don't care." But he ultimately realized that nothing could match the punch of the original line, which, in 1939, was considered a PrecisionFStrike, so he kept the "damn" in and simply paid the fee knowing that the studio could afford it. It turned out to be a good choice on his part--not only is ''Gone With the Wind'' remembered as one of the greatest movies of all time but "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" was voted the top quote in the entire history of cinema by the American Film Institute.

* ''Film/TheHourOfThePig'': [[spoiler: After he sends his SerialKiller son out of town]], the Siegneur cheerfully agrees with a sarcastic comment about how separate laws apply to the rich.
* ''Film/BadGirls'': Even though multiple witnesses would be able to confirm that Cody shot the Colonel in self-defense, and the Sheriff himself had no intent in chasing her once she left his jurisdiction, the Colonel's widow goes over his head and brings in Pinkertons for revenge. However, it's made clear most people simply didn't care that he'd shot first, as he's an "upstanding" citizen while Cody is a prostitute, and therefore guilty no matter what in their eyes.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Wilson "ComicBook/TheKingpin" Fisk, particularly the ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' version.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** The corrupt politician/businessman version of ComicBook/LexLuthor. His entire MO is doing evil things for his own gain and getting away with it, all without scratching his VillainWithGoodPublicity status by using loads of deeply entrenched influence to torpedo all evidence.
** ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfLightningLad'': After the titular hero's death, R.J. Brande -billionaire industrialist and the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes' main backer- strong-arms the United Planets organization into letting the Legion handle the army of Zaryan -who was responsible for Lightning Lad's death- by reminding them how many of their projects he has personally funded.
* ''ComicBook/SinCity'''s Yellow Bastard could get away with anything (especially {{rape|AsDrama}}) because his father was a US Senator, and the patriarch of an excessively powerful and wealthy family that owns the bulk of Basin City. Until Hartigan got ahold of him, the Yellow Bastard got away with ''child'' rape ''and'' murder.
* Odin Quincannon in the comic book ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' was unstoppable until Jesse Custer came along.

* The ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' strip gives us Josiah Dogbolter, head of intergalactic corporation Intra-Venus Inc., who attempts to buy the TARDIS from the Doctor.
* Parodied in ''ComicBook/PS238''. The Revenant, a CaptainErsatz of Franchise/{{Batman}}, has not only one but several wealthy cover identities in order for him to integrate into civilian society. Most of said cover identities are on various state-wanted lists for tax evasion charges, because The Revenant only pays taxes for one of them. He's also said that he thinks that having money might actually be the greatest superpower of them all.
* Shows up at the end of the ''ComicBook/{{Blacksad}}'' premiere album "Somewhere within the Shadows". After offering Blacksad to [[WeCanRuleTogether come work for him]] instead of pursuing his revenge fails, [[spoiler:Ivo Statoc]] instead tries to buy him off. Blacksad rejects him again and makes a point of defying [[spoiler:Statoc]]'s attempt to invoke this trope.
* ''[[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison Batman RIP]]'': The Black Glove mock Batman saying that there is no court they cannot bribe and that they have even more money than him. They still lose the fight though. [[spoiler: Then they are all killed by either Talia or The Joker.]]

* Happens fairly often in ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'', with various one-shot criminals getting away with their crimes by bribing [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Ginko]]'s superiors. They tend to be one-shot characters because they appear in the issue Diabolik robs them, and in the process tends to expose their crimes beyond their abilities to pay their way out of trouble, bankrupt them, kill them (the usual end), or any combination of the three.

* Parodied in ''ComicBook/PS238''. The Revenant, a CaptainErsatz of Franchise/{{Batman}}, has not only one but several wealthy cover identities in order for him to integrate into civilian society. Most of said cover identities are on various state wanted lists for tax evasion charges, because The Revenant only pays taxes for one of them. He's also said that he thinks that having money might actually be the greatest superpower of them all.

** Since his family is obscenely wealthy, Adrien [[RichInDollarsPoorInSense doesn't understand the value of anything]]; in his experience, just about ''everything'' is easily replaceable. Thus, he dismisses the impact of Lila [[ConArtist scamming his classmates]]. Even when Plagg repeatedly reminds him that his friends aren't ''nearly'' as rich, he continues [[LackOfEmpathy not caring]] about the potential consquences... until they [[HoistByHisOwnPetard come back to bite him]].

* ''Film/BatmanBegins'': A more benign example than most when Bruce Wayne bought a fancy restaurant when a staff member told him his dates couldn't play in the fountain.

* Eun-yi of ''Film/TheHousemaid2010'' has the mother of her employer try to kill her via an engineered accident and receives a check in the hospital in repayment of her accident. In the hospital, Miss Cho reveals that this is not the first time that a housemaid has suffered an accident and then been given a payment to keep her quiet.

* A legendary behind-the-scenes example occurred during the filming of ''Film/GoneWithTheWind.'' That most famous of lines--Rhett Butler's "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"--got director Victor Fleming in a ''lot'' of trouble with the Hayes Office, which controlled the "moral integrity" of films through its restrictive Hayes Code. Swearing was considered an offense worthy of a big fine, and to his credit, Fleming did have the scriptwriters come up with an alternate version: "Frankly, my dear, I just don't care." But he ultimately realized that nothing could match the punch of the original line, which, in 1939, was considered a PrecisionFStrike, so he kept the "damn" in and simply paid the fee knowing that the studio could afford it. It turned out to be a good choice on his part--not only is ''Gone With the Wind'' remembered as one of the greatest movies of all time, but "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" was voted the top quote in the entire history of cinema by the American Film Institute.

** One episode has Double-G upset over a bad statue of himself in the subway. Bey sees him smash it apart and goes crazy about how Double-G is sure he's going to escape it. She finally blurts it to the cops only to have them let Double-G off with a warning because of his celebrity status...while Bey is under arrest for failing to report and being an accessory. Bey actually says she's okay with it as she wants to show respect and how the law doesn't play favorites. At which point, Double-G gives the cops two front row tickets for his concert to let her go and Bey just throws up her hands.

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E4ArachnidsInTheUK "Arachnids in the UK"]]: CorruptCorporateExecutive Jack Robertson attempts to bribe the Doctor, her companions Ryan, Graham and Yaz, Yaz's mum Najia and scientist Jade [=McIntyre=] with enough money that they'll never have to work again so they don't reveal evidence of his shoddy business practices, but Najia shoots back that she likes working.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', the Ogre Kingdoms special character Greasus Gooldtooth has three special rules dedicated to just how much money he has. These include one that has nearby friendly units fight all the harder in hopes of getting a higher pay and one that allows him to bribe enemy units into not fighting for a turn.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' basically has this built into its setting: The very first thing said about life in the Sixth World in the 5th edition rulebook is "Everything has a Price". If it exists, cash can be used to get it. InUniverse, part of the setting's {{dystopia}} came about thanks to a pair of Supreme Court decisions that created the concept of Corporate Extraterratoriality. To make a long story short: If your MegaCorp is big enough, you are your own nation. This has essentially dismantled the concept of the 20th century nation state, with the surviving governments being at best second-tier to moneyed interests that make Standard Oil look like some five-year-old kid's sidewalk lemonade stand.

** In a historical example, Emperor Pelagius II inherited an empire devastated by war and famine, and almost completely broke. To solve the issue, he dismissed all of the senior leaders of the Imperial government including the Elder Council and only allowed them to have their jobs back if they paid a steep fee. In the short term, this worked to fill the Empire's coffers, but in the long term, it cost him many advisors who were "rich in wisdom, but poor in gold." He would later be assassinated by a vengeful former council member.

* In ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri'', there is a man in Loc Lac City who makes a fortune selling Monster Cola. He lets his wealth go to his head and soon adopts this attitude. However, he doesn't get away with rule screwing for long and he loses all his money when he sends out a tainted batch of cola. But when he's dirt poor again, he decides to invert this trope entirely:

* ''VideoGame/DuneII'': House Ordos is a mercantile House that is only concerned with generating revenue to sustain the elite-class of their society. As a result, they rely heavily on hired mercenaries to do their fighting for them. But as long as they can safely get to the spice melange and harvest it for their own benefit, they absolutely do not care how many expendable pawns they have to buy off and send against their enemies.

* [[PlayerCharacter Hawke]] of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' could be considered a heroic version ([[VideoGameCrueltyPotential or not]]) of this trope. Ostensibly, the goal of the Deep Roads Expedition was was to make you so rich that you or your mage sister would be completely out of reach to the [[MageKiller templars]]. Unlike most examples of this trope, however, Hawke doesn't seem to do much with their wealth other than use it to keep themselves living comfortably outside of the Circle, an act which is still illegal for mages in almost all the nations of Thedas.

* In ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'', [[TheGoodKing Avad]] reached a compromise of this sort with his more conservative subjects. Women still can't become soldiers, ''but'' if wealthy aristocrat women want to join the machine-fighting Hunters' Lodge, that's fine. This is presented not as societal corruption but as a step in the right direction, taken in the only way it could be.

** Remy Buxaplenty. The fact that [[WriterOnBoard Butch Hartman]] was picked on by rich kids in high school has ''absolutely nothing'' to do with the character's horribly exaggerated portrayal, really. To be fair, he was given a FreudianExcuse when it was revealed that his parents constantly ignore him and he antagonizes Timmy because he's jealous of the fact that Timmy has both a set of loving parents (well, more loving than Remy's, at least) and Fairy Godparents. As the series went on, Remy's actions seemed to have less to do with his family issues and more to do with Remy just acting like a douche for no reason. Hell, even before we found out about his parents he was like that, where he bought every ticket to the new Crash Nebula movie ''just for his piles of money''.

----> '''Jack Flowers:''' Look, Huey, nobody is above the law. Wuncler is going to pay for this. You have my word.\\

* In ''Westernanimation/HerculesTheAnimatedSeries'', the king of {{Atlantis}}, Croesus, bribes Hades and the Fates to prevent losses following a prophecy involving his city sinking. In the end, Atlantis sinks, complete with Hades returning his check and cracking "[[{{Pun}} your bank went under]]". Another episode has Adonis delivering checks to all before him in a queue to get attended quickly - ''three times''!

* [[RichBitch Rusty McCabe]] in ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt''. The town mayor is his parents' old friend and is more than eager to bend the rules of the great city scavenger hunt in his favor ("Remote Possibility"). Similarly, he takes Linda for a date to an amusement park owned by his parents and inexplicably seems to win all the time (the employees are threatened with being fired if he ever loses). ("Carnival Knowledge")

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'', the main character Jay Sherman's boss is a Ted Turner-analogue named Duke Philips. His wealth is flaunted throughout the series, most notably when he pays Webster's Dictionary to create a new word just so he can win a game of Scrabble. In another episode he has to rehire Jay Sherman after firing him prompting this exchange:

* According to [[https://www.amazon.com/Russians-People-behind-Gregory-Feifer/dp/1455509647 this book]], pretty much everything in Russia runs on bribes. For a specific example, you know most of the dash-cam videos on Website/YouTube come from Russia or the former Soviet bloc? It's to prevent CorruptCops [[http://www.businessinsider.com/why-russian-drivers-have-dash-cams-2012-12 from accepting bribes in a car accident]]. It's more cost-effective (not to mention reliable) to shell out some money for a dash-cam rather than get hit with a fraudulent lawsuit because the other driver could pay off the cop. Surprisingly, higher-education and ''kindergartens'' are on-par with this instance.

* Related to the above, fines in ''general''. Because fines may be fixed, what may be an "ouch" to a working-class citizen may be mere pocket change to someone with more wealth. For that matter, a lot of lawsuits in general against corporations tend to not hurt them because a couple hundred thousand dollars in legal fees and fines is merely pocket change. Some industries in fact simply find it ''cheaper'' to pay fines instead of following the law. This is partly why criminal penalties exist. With the difference in outcomes for people who can hire high priced attorneys, this is tragically becoming an example of the trope as well.

* ''TMZ'' has an infamous reputation even in the major news outlets of paying anybody [[{{Paparazzi}} just to get headlines]]. With this and being a {{Determinator}}, they can get headlines before public releases, and, in rarer cases, before the police and public officials. However, sister stations like CNN (they are owned by the same parent company) see them as NecessarilyEvil under how [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman they get notorious scandals out in the open when nobody else does]] and TMZ is able to push boundaries but not to illegality.

** Because Disney World lacks a service where money can be exchanged for shorter waits, some people have come up with their own. A handicapped "guide" can be hired for $130/hr to pose as a member of your family during a trip to the park. This allows the family to skip all of the lines all day. Because of this, the rules were ammended so that disabled people are instead given a card with a time on it and told to return during that time.

--> “In two field studies on driving behavior, upper-class motorists were found to be four times more likely than the other drivers to cut off other vehicles at a busy four-way intersection and three times more likely to cut off a pedestrian waiting to enter a crosswalk."

* Joseph Joanovici, a Romanian Jew, was able to become an honorary Aryan during the Nazi occupation of France thanks to being a billionaire who [[LesCollaborateurs sold iron to Nazi Germany]]. He also [[PlayingBothSides financed the resistance on top of getting a Gestapo card]] thanks to his wealth which avoided him harsher sentence when his Nazi affiliation and war profiteering came to light (he got five years of prison reduced to 3 and was one of the few Jewish people banned from Israel). One anecdote about him is that when the Carlingue's leader brought up he was a Jew he asked how much would it cost to not be one.

Usually done to characterize the CorruptCorporateExecutive, the MrViceGuy, the MegaCorp, and members of the Fiction500. Compare [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Appeal to Wealth]], ConspicuousConsumption, UndisclosedFunds, IdleRich, BribingYourWayToVictory.

Compare the closely-related ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections and NoFameNoWealthNoService. The [[EvilCounterpart Lawful Counterpart]] and defiance to this trope is ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules along with the less lawful but just as defiant counterpart ScrewTheMoneyThisIsPersonal Also contrast MoneyIsNotPower (when trying to invoke this trope backfires either because of the prior Trope or because circumstances are such that people have no need for money), BribeBackfire (when trying to invoke this trope just worsens the consequences instead) and ComicallySmallBribe (when trying to invoke this Trope doesn't work because you are not using ''enough'' money).

Compare the closely-related ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections. The [[EvilCounterpart Lawful Counterpart]] and defiance to this trope is ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules along with the less lawful but just as defiant counterpart ScrewTheMoneyThisIsPersonal Also contrast MoneyIsNotPower (when trying to invoke this trope backfires either because of the prior Trope or because circumstances are such that people have no need for money), BribeBackfire (when trying to invoke this trope just worsens the consequences instead) and ComicallySmallBribe (when trying to invoke this Trope doesn't work because you are not using ''enough'' money).

Compare the closely-related ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections. The [[EvilCounterpart Lawful Counterpart]] and defiance to this trope is ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules (and its own (often evil, or at least [[CowboyCop less law-abiding]]) counterpart ScrewTheMoneyThisIsPersonal). Also contrast MoneyIsNotPower (when trying to invoke this trope backfires either because of the prior Trope or because circumstances are such that people have no need for money), BribeBackfire (when trying to invoke this trope just worsens the consequences instead) and ComicallySmallBribe (when trying to invoke this Trope doesn't work because you are not using ''enough'' money).

* ''WebOriginal/TheDeathOfRussia'': When the National Salvation Front overthrows Boris Yeltsin's government, his Deputy Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar flees to Kaliningrad to establish a GovernmentInExile. When the local government and military officials, including the Baltic Fleet, ask why they should support him instead of handing him over to the NSF, he presents them with three briefcases full of cash; while an exact amount is never mentioned, it's enough to give him a secure power base for the rest of the war.

* ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'': Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is the embodiment of this trope. [[spoiler:Fitzgerald can use the cost of money in dollars or cents and increase his strength proportionate to the amount of money he used.]]

* In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', Sousuke is allowed to violate so many laws it's not even funny while attending school. He points loaded guns at people (and sometimes even shoots at them), places landmines and bombs everywhere, destroys people's private property without remorse, makes threats filled with killer intent... all of this is ignored by the head of the school. Why? Because Mithril makes HUGE donations to her for allowing Sousuke to attend school.
** Plus, the president of the student council seems [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike to have the same mindset as Sousuke]], and usually agrees with his crazy conclusions.

** The [[strike:{{Yakuza}}]] [[{{Bowdlerise}} Very Nice People]] chasing Hayate prior to this point do an inversion of this, "She has money, obey the rules." When one less-than-intelligent member asks why they don't kill everyone anyways, aren't they {{Card Carrying Villain}}s? His smarter co-worker smacks him and says ''No'', the [[strike:{{Yakuza}}]] [[{{Bowdlerise}} Very Nice People]] leaves people who do pay them alone. That's the point.

* Giovanni from ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' gets away with this, so much so that he can personally come down to the police station and bail out Team Rocket members.

** And his CaptainErsatz, Rival-san Lendo, in ''Comicbook/NinjaHighSchool''.

** And as a video showed, by Season 3, it seemed the GX writers were deliberately tossing in jokes in the vein of ''The Abridged Series'':

* Odin Quincannon in the comic book ''Comicbook/{{Preacher}}'' was unstoppable until Jesse Custer came along.
* Also from Franchise/TheDCU, there's foppish dilettante Most Excellent Superbat, who proudly claims this as his superpower. As he puts it in ''Comicbook/FinalCrisis'' # 6: "I have the greatest power of all, Mister Miracle. I am so rich, I can do ''anything''." Although it's left somewhat ambiguous as to whether he's referring to this (using his money to keep himself out of trouble) or CrimefightingWithCash, as he deliberately modeled his superhero persona on Batman. (It's both, really; he's so rich he [[spoiler:''bought Japan'']].)
** Another pair of DCU examples - Niles "the Chief" Caulder and Steve "Mento" Dayton of the Comicbook/DoomPatrol. The former got implicated in arranging the "accidents" which turned the team members into freaks. The latter whipped up a gadget cranking his psionic abilities up, but has a side effect of WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity which has caused him to turn into a criminal mastermind and try to kill his own adopted son! Furthermore, the only reason Dayton made that helmet in the first place was that he was a StalkerWithACrush trying to impress Rita "Elasti-Girl" Farr.

* [[ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Batman RIP]]: The Black Glove mock Batman saying that there is no court they cannot bribe and that they have even more money than him. They still lose the fight though. [[spoiler: Then they are all killed by either Talia or The Joker.]]

* ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' (''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' & Website/TVTropes; author DiedDuringProduction): Tsuruya's father buys a hospital to reward one nurse for her diligence and buying a company to transfer one person. [[spoiler:Being a {{Yakuza}} boss certainly does nothing to hurt.]]

* In ''FanFic/OhGodNotAgain!'', Harry is constantly able to bribe [[CorruptBureaucrat government officials]] for whatever he wants, including [[spoiler:a Time Turner for Hermione and a pardon for Sirius]].

* A RunningGag in ''FanFic/TheDisneyLoops'' is of various Disney Loopers visiting other Loops and solving issues by buying them out, the biggest one so far being [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Scrooge McDuck]] buying out [[spoiler:''[[Franchise/StarWars the entire Clone Wars]]'', complete with the combatants, and then evicting both Sidious and the Separatist Council]].

* ''FanFic/RedactionOfTheGoldenWitch'': This is how the 1996 group is able to reach Rokkenjima Island, despite how it's officially strictly off-limits. Cass is eventually able to find and bribe [[spoiler:the pilot of a surveyor plane]] into taking them there. She avoids saying [[YouDoNotWantToKnow just how much it took]].

* ''FanFic/YouGotHaruhiRolled'' parodies ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' on two separate occasions. The first time, Tsuruya says the line verbatim. The second time, she tries to do so, but Yuki tells her ItsBeenDone.

* Literature/The120DaysOfSodom: The depraved [[AristocratsAreEvil Duke de Blangis]] openly boasts that his money and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections position in society]] will prevent him from ever facing justice for his numerous crimes. [[KarmaHoudini He's correct.]]

%%** [[Comicbook/GreenArrow Oliver]], when not busy CrimefightingWithCash.

** According to the fluff, high elf teams, who are made up ''entirely'' of [[{{Fiction500}} moneyed high elf nobles]], frequently bribe opposing team players to play poorly.

** Also, anything that goes in ''Civilization'' goes for SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri''.

* Princess Morbucks from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. "I have the most powerful power there is! Cold, hard cash!"

* According to [[https://www.amazon.com/Russians-People-behind-Gregory-Feifer/dp/1455509647 this book]], pretty much everything in Russia (only in Russia? At least Ukraine and Belarus are doing this too, just nobody cares) runs on bribes. For a specific example, you know most of the dash-cam videos on Website/YouTube come from Russia or the former Soviet bloc? It's to prevent CorruptCops [[http://www.businessinsider.com/why-russian-drivers-have-dash-cams-2012-12 from accepting bribes in a car accident]]. It's more cost-effective (not to mention reliable) to shell out some money for a dash-cam rather than get hit with a fraudulent lawsuit because the other driver could pay off the cop. Surprisingly, higher-education and ''kindergartens'' are on-par with this instance.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leona_Helmsley Leona Helmsley]] was the poster-girl for this trope and RichBitch for a good two decades (and still is, depending on who you ask). While there are ''many'' reasons she was called the "Queen of Mean" (like being rude to and/or stiffing contractors hired to refurbish a Greenwich, Connecticut mansion and ultimately, a prison sentence for tax evasion), and makes [[WesternAnimation/{{Archer}} Malory Archer]] look downright ''reasonable'', one quote from her solidifies her under this trope.
-->'''Leona Helmsley:''' We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.