 The charge comes from part of a law enacted in 2002 as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed after the Enron scandal. The purpose of this provision of the law was to prevent evidence tampering, basically. It was in response to the Enron stuff. It targets anyone who, quote, obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding or attempts to do so.