> (a)Except as permitted by subsection (b) hereof, whoever ... participates personally and substantially as a Government officer or employee ... in a judicial or other proceeding ... in which, to his knowledge, he ... has a financial interest— Shall be subject to the penalties set forth in section 216 of this title.
All that is lacking is the willingness of law enforcement (and the executive branch) to take action.
I'm no lawyer, but I would read that quote as only prohibiting the participation in proceedings when you have a financial interest in the subject matter, but not the other way around: using the knowledge you gained from participating in proceedings to create financial gain afterwards.
