I think when people think of conspiracy
commonly they think of uh organized
crime or they think of a cartel or some
large scheme involving multiple people
to achieve an unlawful goal conspiracy
especially the way that it’s I would say
abused uh in the charging by the
Department of Justice and how often
they’re trying to do that to wrap up
people who don’t deserve to face the
federal justice system but are still
getting wrapped up into conspiracy
charges. They think it has to be some
big grand scheme but really it doesn’t
unfortunately according to the statute.
Another misconception is alternatively
and almost conversely that just because
I was charged with conspiracy I must be
guilty. They got me. I don’t have to
have done anything. This was involving
other bad people and they did bad
things. We cannot forget and people
often forget or are not properly advised
by council that they still have to prove
that you knowingly and willfully joined
this plan. It’s not enough to just enter
into a joint venture with someone that
turned out to be criminal. You had to
know at the time you agreed to achieve
something unlawful with another person.
You had to have known that that was the
plan that it was criminal. So it can’t
just turn out to be criminal later. And
and that’s a common misconception that a
joint venture that is seemingly
legitimate and you believe is legitimate
can then become a crime. The partnership
itself has to be criminal. It is a
partnership in crime and that is
commonly a misconception and people
think they don’t have options when it
comes to conspiracy charges because yes
they can have the small role. can get
wrapped in. But they do if they have the
right defense.