Citizens throughout the state of Louisiana and the rest of the nation can be charged with federal conspiracy if they make an agreement with another person or organization to commit a criminal act. The party may not have committed the act. In fact, the government doesn’t have to prove that the criminal act actually took place.
Conspiracy can happen regardless of whether a crime was committed
When you’re faced with federal charges regarding conspiracy, it may be a bit confusing at first. You could be convicted of participating in conspiracy even if the criminal act that was talked about was never committed. It’s common for the penalty for federal conspiracy to be the same as the penalty for the criminal act.
Many people get the concept of federal conspiracy confused by thinking that they may only be charged in the event that the criminal act actually takes place. That is not the case. All the government needs to prove is that there was an agreement between the parties to commit the federal offense.
Federal conspiracy statutes
There are two main types of conspiracy statutes that are used when deciding a conviction in a conspiracy case. The first is that the government must prove that multiple people willingly entered into an agreement to breach the federal law. They must prove that the parties in the agreement didn’t enter into the agreement by mistake.
The second statute requires that the government prove one or more parties of the agreement took a step towards furthering their plans. This is commonly referred to as “overact.” Depending on where your case is heard, one or both of these statutes may apply.
Federal conspiracy is a charge that no one wants to be faced with. Unfortunately, it does happen. Hiring a lawyer to assist with your case may help to ensure that you fully understand the charges against you and work to formulate a viable defense.