We all know that conspiracy is a serious crime, but at the same time, the charge can seem a bit abstract. What exactly is conspiracy? Do you go to prison if you’re convicted? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and more.
What Is a Conspiracy Charge?
Conspiracy charges can be quite broad. Unlike other charges, you don’t actually have to break the law to be charged with conspiracy. All that matters is that you and another person agreed to do something illegal and took a step toward doing it. Because of the wide scope of this charge, it can be filed against people in a variety of situations. Commonly, these charges occur in cases involving drug-related crimes, white collar crimes, and violent crimes. For this reason, conspiracy charges are the most commonly filed federal charges, but they can be filed on the state level as well.
Conspiracy in Our News
In current news, some of those involved in the college admissions scandal were charged with racketeering conspiracy charges. The individuals facing this charge are accused of knowingly being middlemen for bribes from wealthy parents to specific universities. Essentially, parents were paying those individuals money to ensure the admittance of their child to a specific university. The middlemen then passed the money on to the university, and the child was admitted.
At its core, this constitutes bribery, which is an illegal act, and now authorities are trying to determine how many people were party to this illegal act. Those who were involved face the possibility of being charged with conspiracy.
Another Example of Conspiracy
As mentioned above, you don’t have to actually do anything illegal to be charged with conspiracy. For example, let’s say Joe and Bob decide to rob a bank.
In order to prepare for their upcoming bank robbery, there are several things that they might want to do. They could buy masks, research the blueprints for the bank, or buy guns. By themselves, none of these tasks would necessarily be illegal. However, because of their previously declared intention of robbing a bank, even the simple act of buying a mask might be the act that allows the federal or state authorities to press conspiracy charges.
What Happens if You’re Convicted of Conspiracy Charges?
Whether charged at the state or federal level, if you are convicted of conspiracy charges, you generally face prison time.
Are You Facing Conspiracy Charges?
If you are facing conspiracy charges, you’ll want to make sure you have a qualified lawyer to defend you. Although these charges may seem vague and although you may not have technically broken any laws, these are very serious charges. At Cove Law, we can help you. Call us now at (954) 921-1121 or contact us online to find out what we can do for you.
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