I don't think it would work in the US...when I lived in Jakarta, Indonesia (a notorously corrupt place) I had a friend who offered the Garuda flight attendant some cash to allow another friend to move up to an empty first class seat next to him. Reportedly, the flight attendant was shocked and refused.

Good for him! There are honest people everywhere.

-steps up to soapbox-

Sure what your friend is proposing isn't like robbing a bank...but it's still stealing. Just because you pay someone to "give" you something that isn't their right to "give" away...

It's very similar to knowingly buying stolen goods. Pretty hard to justify by my way of thinking.

-steps down from soapbox-