South Carolina Attorney Defending Against Federal Conspiracy Charges
What is a conspiracy charge?
The legal definition of a conspiracy is when two or more people work together to plan and perform an illegal act. Conspiracy charges can come in felony or misdemeanor forms, and people charged with conspiracies could potentially be subject to both a conspiracy charge and a charge of the underlying crime at issue. Conspiracy charges are different from attempt charges — attempt requires only one perpetrator who attempts but does not complete an act committed with criminal intent. If you face conspiracy charges, you require the service of a reputable attorney to maintain your reputation. Jack B. Swerling Attorney at Law represents people from South Carolina facing conspiracy charges, and has more than 40 years of experience in handling such cases.
What constitutes conspiracy?
Even if the underlying crime in a conspiracy case was not successfully completed, anyone involved in planning the crime can still be convicted of a conspiracy crime. To be considered a conspiracy, there must be two elements present:
- An agreement between multiple people to accomplish an illegal task, or a legal task by illegal methods. This agreement can be implicit, and the conspirators do not necessarily have to be individuals — corporations can conspire with individuals or with other corporations.
- Intent. All parties involved in the alleged conspiracy must have knowingly entered into the agreement with intent to accomplish the illegal task. Two different types of intent must exist to prove the presence of a conspiracy: each individual conspirator must intend to agree to the conspiracy, and each conspirator must intend to achieve the conspiracy’s ultimate objective.
Many jurisdictions also have a third requirement, stating that at least one conspirator must have acted to further the efforts of the conspiracy. Your criminal defense lawyer can teach you more about what exactly constitutes a conspiracy charge and how your case aligns with the definition. Contact the South Carolina federal criminal law firm of Jack B. Swerling Attorney at Law today.
Contact a criminal defense attorney to fight your conspiracy charges
To schedule your free consultation, call Jack B. Swerling Attorney at Law at 800-701-0599 or reach the firm online. Mr. Swerling serves people from throughout the state of South Carolina in a wide range of criminal defense cases to give them the second chance they deserve. Place your call today.