It shall be no defense to any prosecution under the provisions of section three or section five of this article that a person whom the actor sought to influence or otherwise affect or deal with was not qualified to act in the desired way, whether because he was a candidate for office, or had not yet assumed office or his position of employment, or lacked authority or jurisdiction, or the matter was not yet before him or for any other reason was not qualified to act in the desired way.
West Virginia Legal Code