OPINION OF THE COURT
RENDELL, Circuit Judge.
On January 29, 1997, Louis Parise Jr. and his father, Louis Parise Sr., were convicted of various crimes arising out of their involvement with the National Maritime Union (“NMU”). Parise Jr.’s RICO conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c) was predicated on his violation of the Pennsylvania commercial bribery statute, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 4108(e). Specifically, Parise Jr. was found to have delivered cash bribes to two “port agents” in exchange for their referral of union members with personal injury cases to Parise Jr.’s employer, the Sacks law firm.
On appeal Parise Jr. argues that there was insufficient evidence to support his RICO conviction. He also contends that his actions did not constitute commercial bribery under Pennsylvania law. We disagree with his view as to how the law should be applied to the facts of this case, and find that the evidence was sufficient to support his conviction. Parise Jr. also challenges the district court’s exclusion of certain testimony relating to the commercial bribery charge. We find this argument to be similarly unavailing. We will thus affirm the order of the district court.
I.
The convictions at issue in this case arose out of an extensive government investigation of corruption within the NMU and several related organizations. The NMU represents merchant marine seafarers who work on commercial shipping vessels. One of the improprieties revealed through the government’s investigation was a bribery scheme devised and implemented by Louis Parise Sr., the President of the NMU, his son, Louis Parise Jr., and attorneys Avrem Adler and Bernard Sacks.1 Through this plan, developed in 1988, port agents and other union employees provided Sacks with personal injury case referrals in exchange for cash payments.2 As part of the scheme, Parise Jr. was hired as an “investigator” for the Sacks law firm and was responsible for delivering the bribes to the port agents. Parise Sr. promised these legal referrals to Sacks in exchange for a kickback of 5% of the legal fees generated through NMU cases. In 1992, a Legal Services Plan (“LSP”) was created through which attorneys were to provide low or no cost legal services to union members. It was hoped that these members would then be more likely to retain designated attorneys, including Sacks, for their more [794]*794lucrative cases. Parise Jr. was named as “co-administrator” of the LSP.
Sacks cooperated with the government investigation and during the trial testified at length about the bribery scheme. Sacks explained that Parise Jr.’s role was to pay port agents in particular cities a set fee for referral of personal injury cases to the Sacks firm. Several port agents, including Floyd Jones, John Pegan, and Debra Rywelski,3 testified about the money paid to them by Parise Jr. for these ease referrals. Other witnesses provided additional evidence relating to Parise Jr.’s role in the NMU and in carrying out the bribery scheme. After a three week trial, the jury found Parise Jr. guilty of the RICO violation, of Travel Act violations and of RICO forfeiture. The RICO conviction was based on the jury’s finding that Parise Jr. had bribed Pegan and Rywelski in violation of Pennsylvania’s commercial bribery statute. The district court denied Parise Jr.’s post-trial motion for acquittal or a new trial, and Parise Jr. appeals the judgment of conviction entered on September 11, 1997. This court has jurisdiction to review the final judgment of the district court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291.
The jury verdict in this case “must be sustained if there is substantial evidence, taking the view most favorable to the Government, to support it.” Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 80, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942). See United States v. Aguilar, 843 F.2d 155, 157 (3d Cir.1988). To the extent that Parise Jr.’s arguments raise issues of statutory interpretation, our review is plenary. See United States v. Hayden, 64 F.3d 126, 128 (3d Cir.1995).
II.
A. RICO violation
Parise Jr. offers two related challenges to the sufficiency of the evidence which sustained his conviction under RICO. First, Parise Jr. argues that the government failed to adequately connect him with the indicted “enterprise” because several of the racketeering acts charged in the indictment were committed prior to the existence of the Legal Services Plan, and even those acts which occurred after the formation of the LSP were not directly linked with his role in the LSP. Secondly, Parise Jr. contends that the government failed to demonstrate that he participated in directing the affairs of the enterprise as required to sustain a RICO conviction. In addition, Parise Jr. challenges the district court’s jury instruction relating to the requisite showing that must be made to establish “association” under RICO.
1. Connection with an “enterprise”
The RICO statute provides that “it shall be unlawful for any person employed by or associated with any enterprise engaged in ... interstate or foreign commerce, to conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of such enterprise’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity or collection of unlawful debt.” 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c). A conviction under this statute requires that the government prove the following four elements:
(1) the existence of an enterprise affecting interstate commerce; (2) that the defendant was employed by or associated with the enterprise; (3) that the defendant participated, either directly or indirectly, in the conduct or the affairs of the enterprise; and (4) that he or she participated through a pattern of racketeering activity.
United States v. Console, 13 F.3d 641, 652-53 (3d Cir.1993) (citation omitted).
The statute defines an enterprise as “any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity, and any union or group of individuals associated in fact although not a legal entity.” 18 U.S.C. § 1961(4). The indictment in this case charged that four legal entities made up the RICO enterprise: (1) the National Maritime Union (“NMU”); the NMU Pension and Welfare Plan; (3) the Committee for the Administration of the NMU; and (4) the Legal Services Plan (“LSP”).
Parise Jr. contends that because the government alleged in the indictment that the [795]*795enterprise — which we will call the “NMU Enterprise” — was comprised of four organizations, no “enterprise” could have existed prior to September 1992, when the fourth organization, the LSP, was created. Therefore, Parise Jr. asserts, alleged illegal activity which took place before September 1992 cannot properly serve as the basis for his RICO liability.4
Parise Jr.’s argument fails to appreciate the nature of an “enterprise” as defined by the RICO statute. The four organizations were included in the indictment because all were channels through which illegal activity was taking place and through which the NMU Enterprise operated. This does not mean, however, that no illegal activity of the enterprise could occur prior to the existence or entry of one of the indicted entities. In order to establish the existence of an “enterprise” for the purposes of RICO, the government must demonstrate that there is “an ongoing organization” whose “various associates function as a continuing unit.” See United States v. Riccobene, 709 F.2d 214, 221 (3d Cir.1983) (citing United States v. Turkette, 452 U.S. 576, 583, 101 S.Ct. 2524, 69 L.Ed.2d 246 (1981)). However, “continuity does not require that each member of the enterprise participate in it from beginning to end.” United States v. Feldman, 853 F.2d 648, 659 (9th Cir.1988); see United States v. Hewes, 729 F.2d 1302, 1310-11 (11th Cir.1984) (rejecting the argument that government must prove participation of all members throughout the life of the enterprise). Rather, the government must demonstrate that all alleged members who participated at one time or another were part of an ongoing enterprise with a shared “organizational pattern” and “system of authority.” United States v. Lemm, 680 F.2d 1193, 1199 (8th Cir.1982).
From in or about late 1988 to the present ... Louis Parise, Jr. and others known and unknown to the grand jury, being persons employed by and associated with the enterprise ... knowingly, unlawfully, and willfully conducted and participated, directly and indirectly, in the conduct of the affairs of the enterprise ....
Defendant Louis Parise, Jr., used his position as an investigator for attorney Sacks and as a co-administrator of the ITPE-NMU Legal Benefits Plan, to promote and aid and abet commercial bribery by traveling in interstate commerce, and using interstate facilities, to deliver cash payments and things of value to union officials who referred injured union members to attorney Sacks as their lawyer....
The evidence adduced at trial demonstrated that the NMU Enterprise existed prior to September 1992 and that upon its formation, the LSP became part of the ongoing enterprise which satisfied the organizational and structural requirements of Riccobene, 709 F.2d at 221. The LSP was developed as another method of generating personal injury cases; the pursuit of these cases was already an activity of the NMU Enterprise. The major participants in the enterprise remained essentially the same from 1988 on, demonstrating the continuity of the enterprise. The testimony showed that during this period Louis Parise Sr. was the “system of authority” which united all of the organizations which formed the NMU Enterprise: the elder Parise had relatively unfettered discretion to direct both the legal and illegal activities of the union and its related organizations. Because the NMU Enterprise existed before the formation of the LSP, Parise Jr.’s actions prior to 1992 could properly form the basis for his RICO conviction.
Parise Jr. next asserts that all of the racketeering charges — even those relating to post-1992 activity — are deficient because the government failed to connect any of his alleged acts of bribery with his position as co-administrator of the LSP. Parise Jr. contends that his actions taken while he was an investigator for the Sacks law firm cannot form the basis for his RICO conviction because the law firm was not named as one of the organizations which formed the “enterprise.” However, this argument misconstrues the government’s burden. At trial, the government needed to demonstrate that Parise Jr. participated, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of the NMU Enterprise’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity. In so doing, however, the government was not limited to demonstrating that Parise Jr.’s participation in the affairs of the enter[796]*796prise flowed from his official role within the LSP. In fact, from the evidence adduced at trial it is clear that Parise Jr.’s eventual position with the LSP was not necessary to establish that he associated with or participated in the affairs of the NMU Enterprise. Rather, as is discussed below, we agree with Parise Jr. that his actions as coadministrator of the LSP were merely a continuation of his previously established pattern of racketeering activities.
Parise Jr. also appears to be arguing that he could only have been found to have “associated with” the organization in which he held a formal position, but the language of the RICO statute leaves no room for this contention. The law explicitly states that a RICO defendant must be employed by or associated with an enterprise. 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c). For the purposes of RICO, the threshold showing of “association” is not difficult to establish: it is satisfied by proof that the defendant was “aware of at least the general existence of the enterprise named in the indictment.” United States v. Eufrasio, 935 F.2d 553, 577 n. 29 (3d Cir.1991) (quoting United States v. Castellano, 610 F.Supp. 1359, 1401-02 (S.D.N.Y.1985)); see also Console, 13 F.3d at 653. That is, a defendant must be aware of the general nature of the enterprise and know that the enterprise extends beyond his individual role. See United States v. Rastelli, 870 F.2d 822, 828 (2d Cir.1989). Here, the necessary showing of “association” was easily met. The evidence showed that Parise Jr. attended the initial meeting during which the bribery scheme was discussed — this fact alone is sufficient to demonstrate that he was aware of the NMU Enterprise and knew that the activities of the NMU Enterprise extended beyond his role in bribing union employees.
2. Participation in the conduct of the affairs of the enterprise
We now turn our attention to the third element essential to a RICO conviction — namely, whether the government’s evidence demonstrated that Parise Jr. participated in the conduct of the affairs of the enterprise. Our analysis of this claim must begin with an examination of the definition of “participation” under § 1962(c) as clarified by the Supreme Court in Reves v. Ernst & Young, 507 U.S. 170, 113 S.Ct. 1163, 122 L.Ed.2d 525 (1993). In Reves, the Court endorsed the “operation or management” test to determine whether a defendant participated in the conduct of an enterprise’s affairs. Id. at 184, 113 S.Ct. 1163. According to Reves, “[i]n order to ‘participate, directly or indirectly, in the conduct of such enterprise’s affairs,’ one must have some part in directing those affairs.” Id. at 179, 113 S.Ct. 1163. However, one need not hold a formal position within an enterprise in order to “participate” in its affairs. Id. at 179, 113 S.Ct. 1163. Further, the “operation or management” test does not limit RICO liability to upper management because “an enterprise is ‘operated’ not just by upper management but also by lower-rung participants in the enterprise who are under the direction of upper management.” Id. at 184, 113 S.Ct. 1163. In so holding, the Court made clear that RICO liability may extend to those who do not hold a managerial position within an enterprise, but who do nonetheless knowingly further the illegal aims of the enterprise by carrying out the directives of those in control.
In applying Reves, we have stated that the “operation or management” test is designed to limit RICO liability under § 1962(c) to those situations in which the government can demonstrate “a nexus between the person and the conduct in the affairs of an enterprise.” University of Maryland at Baltimore v. Peat, Marwick, Main & Co., 996 F.2d 1534, 1539 (3d Cir.1993).5 The First Circuit has stated that RICO liability extends to those “plainly integral to carrying out” the enterprise’s activities. See United States v. Shifman, 124 F.3d 31, 36 (1st Cir.1997) (citation omitted), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 118 S.Ct. 1053, 140 L.Ed.2d 116 (1998).
[797]*797It is clear that Parise Jr. participated in the conduct of the affairs of the NMU Enterprise for several years before he was given the formal title of “co-administrator” of the LSP. In his role as investigator for the Sacks law firm, Parise Jr. was integral to the enterprise’s plan to funnel personal injury eases to Sacks in order to reap a percentage of the money generated. Parise Jr. traveled to port cities paying off the union agents and' informing them that Sacks was the official NMU attorney for the East Coast. Thus, even before he had a formal role within the LSP, Parise Jr. was deeply involved in — and integral to — the operation of the NMU Enterprise. The government produced evidence that Parise Jr. was acting at the direction of his father, the union President— clearly upper level management — to carry out the illegal activities of the NMU Enterprise. As a result of Parise Jr.’s work, his father, the head of the enterprise, received substantial kickbacks from Sacks.
In 1992, in furtherance of the scheme and reflective of his important role in the enterprise, Parise Jr. became coadministrator of the LSP. Through this official position, he maintained and expanded his role in operating the NMU Enterprise. In addition to continuing the payoff arrangement with port agents, he also coordinated the effort of the LSP to select local attorneys to do the routine legal work for union members — and to channel more lucrative cases to attorneys selected by Parise Sr.
Reves focused on the RICO liability of those “outside” an enterprise who may assist in furthering the illegal activities of the enterprise. 507 U.S. at 183-85, 113 S.Ct. 1163. The Court did not reach the issue of the liability of those “inside,” specifically declining to determine “how far § 1962(c) extends down the ladder of operation.” Id. at 184 n. 9, 113 S.Ct. 1163. However, we need not dwell on this issue because Parise Jr.’s substantial involvement in the criminal activities of the NMU Enterprise does not present a close ease. We are not concerned with improperly extending RICO liability to a low-level employee who was unaware of the criminal activities of the larger enterprise. See United States v. Viola, 35 F.3d 37, 43 (2d Cir.1994) (reversing conviction of defendant who did light clean-up and maintenance work on the ground that the government had failed to show that he exercised any “discretionary authority” or that he “was even aware of the broader enterprise”). Sacks testified that Parise Jr. was present during the original meeting where the bribery plan was discussed. The fact that he continued to play an essential role in implementing the scheme was well documented during the trial. Parise Jr. does not contend on appeal that he was an unwitting — or unwilling— actor.
From the extensive evidence presented at trial, the jury could easily conclude that the government established a nexus between Parise Jr. and the affairs of the NMU Enterprise. Parise Jr. played a role in directing the affairs of the NMU Enterprise as required by Reves and could be found criminally liable under RICO.
3. Challenge to the jury instruction
Parise Jr. next challenges — as he did at trial — the district court’s jury instructions in which the district court advised the jury that “the Government has alleged that defendant Louis Parise Jr. was associated with the enterprise through his dealing[s] with various NMU officials you have heard testify.”6 Parise Jr. contends that this statement led the jury to believe that it could find proof of the requisite association by virtue of the alleged bribery of port agents Jones, Pegan, and Rywelski even if there was no other proof that Parise Jr. had associated with the NMU Enterprise. However, giving the term “dealings” its plain meaning, we interpret it to mean all interactions or contacts between the union officials and Parise Jr. during which they had the opportunity to learn about his role in the NMU Enterprise.
[798]*798There is no basis either in the context of the instruction or the evidence of the case to equate the word “dealings” with payoffs or bribes. The substance of the testimony of NMU employees such as Pegan and Rywel-ski was not limited to their discussion of payoffs for legal referrals, but also included testimony in which they described Parise Jr.’s overall involvement with the NMU Enterprise. Furthermore this jury instruction referred to “various NMU officials” who testified, including James Overstreet, a business agent for the NMU, and Kenneth Gerasimos, a former Vice President of the union. Both of these officials testified that Parise Jr. was present at union meetings and events. The entire testimony of the officials as to “dealings” with NMU officials formed the eviden-tiary basis for a jury determination that Parise Jr. was “associated with” the enterprise.
Finally, it is important that the challenged portion of the charge be read in the context of the entire set of instructions. The district court did instruct the jury as to the need for proof of Parise Jr.’s involvement with the enterprise and its affairs as such:
[T]he Government must establish that each defendant was able to commit the racketeering offense solely by virtue of his position in the enterprise or his involvement in or participation in or control over the affairs of the enterprise. The Government must also establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged racketeering acts were committed in the conduct of the affairs of the enterprise.
The court’s instructions made clear that conduct relating to the NMU Enterprise must form the basis for RICO liability. Therefore, we find that the district court’s instructions correctly conveyed the substance of the law and fairly and adequately submitted this issue to the jury.
B. Predicate Acts of Commercial Bribery
In order to prove a RICO violation, the government must demonstrate that the defendant participated in the operation of an enterprise “through a pattern of racketeering activity ...” 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c).7 A pattern is established by proving that the defendant, committed two or more illegal acts of the type associated with organized crime. See Riccobene, 709 F.2d at 226-27. The indictment alleged that Parise Jr. had violated Pennsylvania’s law against commercial bribery by paying port agents to refer personal injury cases to Sacks. The testimony elicited at trial established that port agents were favoring Sacks in exchange for payoffs from Parise Jr. The jury found that Parise Jr. had bribed two union employees, Pegan and Ry-welski. Pennsylvania’s statute defines commercial bribery as follows:
An employee, agent or fiduciary commits a misdemeanor of the second degree when, without the consent of his employer or principal, he solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept any benefit from another person upon agreement or understanding that such benefit will influence his conduct in relation to the affairs of his employer or principal.
18 Pa.C.S.A. § 4108(a). Under the following provision, the statute also criminalizes solicitation of bribes: “[a] person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if he confers, or offers or agrees to confer, any benefit the acceptance of which would be criminal under subsections (a) or (b) or this section.” 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 4108(c). Thus, by conferring the benefit on the union port agents, Parise Jr. could be found guilty of commercial bribery.
Parise Jr. argues that giving money to a union agent or employee for the referral of personal injury cases does not constitute “conduct in relation to the affairs of’ the union as required to establish commercial bribery under Pennsylvania law. Parise Jr. is essentially contending that because referring seamen to lawyers is not included among a port agent’s official duties, it cannot constitute “conduct in relation to the affairs of’ the employer. He asserts that the union—the employer in this case—has no interest or stake in which lawyer an injured worker chooses, and that providing legal referrals [799]*799is not within the scope of the port agents’ employment. The government argues that Parise Jr.’s reading of the statute, especially in light of the facts of this case, is too constricted. It urges that the “affairs in relation to” language of the statute encompasses employment-related activity beyond that which is part of an employee’s official duties.
As the present ease arises under this court’s federal question jurisdiction, we will address all of the issues necessary to our ruling, including questions involving the interpretation of state law. See United States v. D’Amato, 436 F.2d 52, 54 (3d Cir.1970). In interpreting the text of 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 4108, we are mindful that the Constitution requires that criminal laws be strictly construed. Due process mandates that criminal statutes give “fair warning ... to the world in language that the common world will understand, of what the law intends to do if a certain line is passed.” McBoyle v. United States, 283 U.S. 25, 27, 51 S.Ct. 340, 75 L.Ed. 816 (1931); see also United States v. Lanier, 520 U.S. 259, 117 S.Ct. 1219, 137 L.Ed.2d 432 (1997). In addition, Pennsylvania’s laws regarding statutory construction dictate that penal provision are to be strictly interpreted. 1 Pa.C.S.A. § 1928(b)(1). However, the Pennsylvania courts have also held that “strict construction does not require that the words of a criminal statute be given their narrowest meaning or that the legislature’s evident intent be disregarded.” Commonwealth v. Gordon, 511 Pa. 481, 515 A.2d 558, 561 (Pa.1986). Furthermore, we must also refrain from reading additional provisions into a statute when its meaning is clear. See In re J.S., 526 Pa. 418, 586 A.2d 909, 913 (Pa.1991). Against this backdrop, we turn our attention to the meaning of the statute and the evidence offered to prove that the port agents’ receipt of money influencing their conduct was “in relation to the affairs” of their employer, the union.
a. Requirements for Commercial Bribery under the Pennsylvania Statute
At the outset, it must be noted that the language of the Pennsylvania commercial bribery statute makes its reach quite broad. It requires that an employee solicit or accept a benefit from another in order to influence the employee’s conduct in relation to his employer’s affairs. The statute contains no requirement that the affected conduct be in relation to the official duties of an agent or employee, nor does it require a showing that an offender’s conduct was adverse to the interests of the employer. In construing the language of the commercial bribery statute and in determining the meaning of “conduct in relation to the affairs” of an employer, we turn to the ease of Commonwealth v. Bellis, 484 Pa. 486, 399 A.2d 397 (Pa.1979), for direction.
In Beilis — the only Pennsylvania Supreme Court case which discusses this issue directly — the court affirmed the judgment of sentence of a city councilman convicted of commercial bribery.8 Bellis, 399 A.2d at 400. Councilman Beilis had represented private parties before city agencies in order to help these companies secure contracts with these agencies. The companies rewarded his efforts accordingly. Among other contentions, Beilis argued to the court that he was not guilty of commercial bribery because the conduct at issue did not interfere with his official duties as a councilman. His conduct involved contracts between third parties and other city agencies and departments, quite apart from any matter before city council or otherwise affecting his role or responsibilities as a councilman. The Beilis court found that it was uncontested that the defendant’s acceptance of these bribes “did not affect the performance of his official duties as a city councilman” and that “he did not take any action in City Council on behalf of private parties.” Id. at 398. The court stated, however, that whether a particular activity was among an employee’s “official duties” was “irrelevant” to the commercial bribery inquiry. Id. at 400. Thus, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected the argument that the bribe must impact one’s official duties in order to comprise “conduct in relation to the affairs of his employer or principal.”
The Beilis court recognized that commercial bribery was criminalized on the theoreti[800]*800cal premise that such acts represent a violation of the duty of loyalty that an employee owes to an employer. The court stated that
[t]he purpose of Section 4667 is to require an “agent, employe or servant” to possess an undivided loyalty to his principal. It is impossible for an agent to retain this loyalty as long as he solicits and/or receives money from third parties in return for acting on their behalf (i.e., “showing ... favor or disfavor”) in his principal’s affairs. By representing private parties before city officials while he was a councilman, appellant showed “favor or disfavor” in the affairs of his principal (the City of Philadelphia) in that he negotiated on behalf of and in the best interests of private parties in their dealings with the city. Hence, appellant violated Section 4667.
Bellis, 399 A.2d at 400. Thus, the court determined that a violation of the employee’s duty automatically occurs when an agent or employee offers or receives money which causes him to act in a certain way — namely as the payor wishes — in the conduct of the affairs of his employer. The court viewed the violation as being implicit in the conduct. The act of accepting a benefit to show favor is the gravamen of the crime.
The above-quoted language in Beilis makes it disloyal, and criminal, for an employee to accept money to show favor to third parties in his principal’s affairs. We view this reasoning as undermining the position taken by our dissenting colleague that being influenced for money in one’s job is criminal only if found to be against the interests of the employer. Neither the Pennsylvania legislature, nor its courts, have inserted such a requirement into the offense of commercial bribery. The Beilis court did not examine the contracts in question to determine whether they were good for the City. Nor do we believe that such an inquiry is appropriate under the plain meaning of the statute. The Beilis court made clear that the showing of favor or disfavor on the basis of money paid is the harm addressed by the commercial bribery statute. The court need not make a determination as to whether the choice of a particular vendor influenced by a monetary payment was detrimental to the employer. In U.S. v. Johns, 742 F.Supp. 196, 220 (E.D.Pa.1990), the court found the defendant guilty of commercial bribery under § 4108 even though the parties had stipulated that the price and quality of the products obtained from the favored vendor were “more favorable” than any offered by competitors. While it is true that other states have included this requirement as a statutory element or interpreted it to be a requirement, those cases are not our guide.9 Courts should not legislate by reading into the laws provisions not included by the legislature.10 This prin[801]*801ciple was recently reiterated by this court in Brokerage Concepts, Inc. v. U.S. Healthcare, Inc., 140 F.3d 494, 527-28 (3d Cir.1998). There, interpreting a different section of Pennsylvania’s commercial bribery statute, we rejected an attempt by one of the parties to insert an additional element — that of the defendant’s motivation — into the statute. Id. We noted that the crime of commercial bribery is “carefully circumscribed,” consistent with our view that elements which do not appear in the statutory language should not be read into the law.11
In order to find the payment of money influenced the employee’s conduct in relation to the employer’s affairs, we must define the scope of the union’s affairs. In so doing, we will consider not only the mission and activities of the union but whether the conduct in question was consistent with the scope of the union agents’ employment. Thus, in this ease, we must determine if the port agents were performing their jobs in advising the seamen as to counsel for work-related injuries and whether this practice of referral was a concern of the union and part of its affairs. Appellants do not seek to define “affairs” but contend that whatever it means, the referral to counsel was not part of the affairs of the union. We believe the evidence supports the opposite conclusion.
b. The Union’s Affairs
The purpose of the NMU, as set forth in its constitution, is described as helping “needy, sick and distressed” members. One union official described the role of the union in the following terms:
[T]he NMU has a very proud history. And I think we’re important to our members. Certainly we represent them before the companies. We are responsible for their collective bargaining agreement overall, but we also represent them on a day to day basis. If a seaman has a problem aboard a ship, he will come to the hall and talk to a union official.
J.A. at 1308. Other testimony supported this description of the union as concerned with the work-related welfare of union members. We can easily take judicial notice of the fact that the union movement exists of, by, and for workers and dedicates itself to their welfare and the recognition of their rights. Seeking redress for work-related injury through proper legal representation easily fits within this sphere of the union’s interest and affairs. In addition to the fact that making attorney referrals was consistent with the purposes of the union, there was significant evidence presented from which the jury could have determined that the union concerned itself with its members’ legal representation and that making attorney referrals was part of the union’s affairs.
The testimony demonstrated that the job of port agent involved a wide range of tasks encompassing as many different aspects as there are facets of the union members’ work-related needs. J.A. at 1309. One agent explained that in addition to taking care of finances he enforced ship rules, took care of grievances and supervised the operation of the union hall. J.A. at 594. Another stated that as the business agent of the port he would “[t]ake care of all the union business, ship people out, take care of my members.” J.A. at 637. While in some types of work, [802]*802helping others mights be viewed as incidental to a job function, we view the union — port agent — member relationship depicted here to provide a unique setting in which assistance of this nature was integral to, not incidental to, the union’s business of caring for its members. In describing her job as a Pension and Welfare Plan Representative, Ry-welski said that she assisted union members and stated of this population, “the average seaman is not well educated and they need-— a lot of them can barely read and they need help preparing these forms. A lot of them, they don’t understand them and they just need assistance.” J.A. at 521-22.
Thus, the union through its port agents and other employees, served as counselors and helpers of this itinerant, seafaring population. Consistent with this role, making attorney referrals was a service routinely provided to the seamen coming into port by port agents and other union employees. Union members testified that they relied on port agents for attorney referrals after suffering an on-the-job injury. J.A. at 507; 1201. It was well-known among union members that port agents provided such referrals. Significantly, there was no evidence presented that union members, officials, or employees believed that making attorney referrals was inappropriate or beyond the scope of the port agents’ employment or the union’s sphere of interest. The evidence is clear that these employees provided attorney referrals to injured members and that this practice was consistent with the mission of the NMU. This practice furthered the union’s express goal of assisting sick or needy members.
Further, not all union employees received payoffs for making these referrals. Gerasi-mos, a union official, testified that assisting members with legal representation was “an unofficial duty” of port agents and that as a port agent he had provided such referrals without receiving any payments. J.A. at 737-38. Another official, a Vice President of the NMU, testified that she had never taken any money for making attorney referrals. J.A. at 1311.12
Additionally, in determining that providing attorney referrals was conduct “in relation to the affairs” of the union, we cannot ignore the NMU’s involvement in the business of legal services and referrals. Parise Sr. circulated a letter in which he named individual lawyers as the official “union attorneys” for particular geographic regions. Sacks was named as the official attorney for the East Coast and was given office space in the union hall in New Orleans. In addition, members of the NMU Enterprise, including Parise Sr. and Jr., established the Legal Services Plan for the purpose of providing routine legal services to union members — hoping that participating attorneys would eventually be retained for lucrative personal injury cases. Thus, in the present case, Parise Sr. and others in the NMU Enterprise went out of their way to make the legal concerns of union members part of the NMU’s “affairs.”13
We believe that the facts of this case clearly bring the agents’ conduct within the ambit of their jobs for the union and that the referrals of seamen to counsel was part and parcel of the affairs of the union. Union employees were able to be bribed by virtue of their employment with the union; that is, they held positions in which they were expected to counsel and advise union members. The injuries for which members required legal representation were sustained on-the-job. That attorney referrals were given for [803]*803employment-related injuries further strengthens the relationship between the role of the union and these services. This practice is easily within the explicit mission of the NMU. Having examined the language of the statute and the facts of this case, we conclude that providing attorney referrals constituted conduct in relation to the affairs of the union.
While not specifically challenged by the appellant, we also note that the other requisite under the commercial bribery statute, that is, that the employee be influenced to act in a particular way in relation to the employer’s affairs is also shown by the evidence. The payments in this case clearly influenced the conduct of the port agents. These agents testified that their referrals were not based on a determination that Sacks was the best lawyer to represent injured union members. J.A. at 599; 640. Rywelski stated that she knew nothing about Saeks’s skills as a lawyer or the fees he charged. J.A. at 528. In fact, when asked whether he was chosen to be the “NMU attorney” because he was a good lawyer, Sacks himself replied, “No, I got picked because I could pay off the agents. I had the money to do it.” J.A. at 255. Both Pegan and Rywelski testified that they understood that they were receiving money to make referrals to Sacks — they received a benefit to influence their conduct in relation to the union’s affairs.
The dissent urges that our view of the relationship of lawyer referrals to the unions’ affairs is misguided and attempts to analogize this situation to a hospital’s lack of interest in a doctor’s referral of a patient.14 We are also chastised for going beyond ,the classic example of conflict of interest depicted in Beilis. It is our ruling, however, that the evidence at trial provided ample support for the jury’s finding that, given the unique relationship among the union, its members, and the poH agents, the commercial Pennsylvania bribery statute had been violated.
The evidence and the case law support the conclusion that the union employees’ conduct in these matters constituted the acceptance of money to affect conduct in relation to the affairs of the employer. Given the union’s mission, the nature of the port agents’ work, and the subject matter and nature of the referrals, the jury could reasonably find, as it did, that the agents’ conduct violated Pennsylvania’s commercial bribery statute and that Parise Jr., as solicitor, was guilty of this underlying offense for the purposes of the RICO conviction.
C. Exclusion of evidence
Finally, Parise Jr. contends that the district court improperly excluded relevant testimony of a government witness on cross examination as to the non-criminal intent of the recipient of the alleged commercial bribe. The district court’s exclusion of evidence is reviewed for abuse of discretion. See Abrams v. Lightolier Inc., 50 F.3d 1204, 1213 (3d Cir.1995).
Pennsylvania’s commercial bribery statute requires the establishment of an agreement or understanding between both parties that the benefit offered will influence conduct in relation to the affairs of the employer. 18 Pa.C.S. § 4108(c). Parise Jr. argues that the district court erred in excluding testimony which related to whether Rywelski thought she was “doing something wrong” or “committing a crime” when she took money from Parise Jr. The district court excluded the evidence because her state of mind regarding the criminal nature of the conduct was irrelevant. We agree. Parise Jr. confuses the need to show that there was an “agreement or understanding” with evidence of the intent or state-of-mind of the parties. The statute does not require that the parties knew that their agreement was wrong or illegal. The government did elicit relevant testimony from both Pegan and Rywelski that they understood that the payments they received from Parise Jr. were for referrals to lawyers. Thus, the district court did not exclude evidence which related to Rywelski’s belief about whether an agreement or understand[804]*804ing had been formed. It excluded only that which was irrelevant — evidence as to whether Rywelski had a criminal state of mind. Therefore, the district court’s exclusion of that portion of Rywelski’s testimony was not an abuse of discretion.
III.
Having considered all of the issues raised by Parise Jr. in this appeal, we find them to be without merit. Therefore, the judgment of the district court and its order denying the defendant’s post-trial motion will be affirmed.