Conspiracy is a kind of criminal partnership. This charge applies when two or more people make an agreement to work together to commit a crime. There does not need to be a formal written agreement and the crime does not need to actually occur, as long as prosecutors can prove that the conspirators intended to commit a crime and intended to work together to pull it off.
If you have been accused of conspiracy, contact a Bloomfield Hills conspiracy lawyer to review your situation and determine your legal defenses. A skilled criminal attorney can help you decide what course of action makes sense for you.
What Does It Mean to Conspire?When judges instruct juries on conspiracy charges in Michigan, they often tell them to look at the knowing agreement, specific intent, and illegal intent. To be guilty of conspiracy, a defendant needs to have known that the plan was to commit a crime, and agreed to take part in it. The agreement does not need to be written down, but the evidence has to show there was one.
Bloomfield Hills conspiracy lawyers know this crime requires specific intent. It is not enough that someone was in the vicinity when the conspiracy was discussed, or even that something they did was helpful to the conspirators. A defendant in a conspiracy case is not liable for the acts of other people in the conspiracy unless those acts are part of the agreement. Someone who joins a conspiracy after it has already started can usually not be held liable for what the other conspirators said and did before that, only for what they know and agree to in the future.
Defining Illegal AimA conspiracy must have an illegal aim. This usually has to do with an activity such as stealing or murder. In some cases, conspiracy charges can be brought when two or more people work together to commit a legal act in an illegal. An example of this is a recent case regarding distributing medical marijuana dispensary cards. The issuance and distribution of these cards is legal in Michigan for patients who meet certain criteria. However, the defendants were working to sell the cards to people not legally entitled to them and they were held liable for criminal conspiracy.
Conspiracy cases are generally very complex. Law enforcement personnel often use conspiracy charges to pit co-conspirators against each other. This often results in defendants getting greater (or lesser) sentences, which is why it is important to contact a Bloomfield Hills conspiracy lawyer for representation.
Penalties for Criminal ConspiracyThe penalties in conspiracy cases are tied to the underlying crime(s) the conspirators intended to commit. However, there the general guidelines for Bloomfield Hills conspiracy law. For a crime punishable by one year in prison or more, a person charged with conspiracy to commit that crime could receive the jail time for the crime itself, plus a fine of $10,000.
For a crime punishable by less than one year of prison, a person charged with conspiracy could receive up to a year in prison, up to $1,000 in fines, or both. If you have been charged with or think you may be investigated for conspiracy, call a Bloomfield Hills conspiracy lawyer. This is a high stakes area of the law and you need expert help to ensure your rights are protected.