Florida Aiding And Abetting Laws

There are plenty of ways that someone can be partially responsible for a crime.  On the one hand, the difference between drug trafficking and drug possession or between murder and manslaughter can be a matter of interpretation, with the less severe interpretations often applying in the case of a plea deal.  On the other hand, when multiple people are involved in a crime, the court might charge them with different levels of offenses.  The person who robs a bank at gunpoint breaks the law, as does the getaway driver, the person who hides the bag of money in their shed, and the person who lies to the police about the robber’s whereabouts, but they are not all guilty of the same offense.  To find out more about criminal cases involving the defendant’s auxiliary role in a crime, contact a West Palm Beach aiding and abetting lawyer.

How Is Aiding and Abetting Different From Conspiracy to Commit a Crime?

Charges of conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, or any other crime apply when you were aware, to some degree, of the goal of the entire criminal operation, and you participated in some aspect of it.  You can still be guilty of drug trafficking conspiracy if you did not know how the drugs got to Miami, but you knew that they were illegal drugs, and you drove them to West Palm Beach and received payment for doing so.

Aiding and abetting, also known as accessory after the fact, is when you were not involved in the crime, but you helped the defendant cover up the crime or avoid arrest, trial, or punishment.  The severity of the aiding and abetting charges depends on the severity of the original crime.  If you helped someone avoid getting caught for capital murder, then aiding and abetting is a first-degree felony.  If the original crime was some other felony, you can get second- or third-degree felony charges.  If the original crime was one of the less severe third-degree felonies, then you can get misdemeanor charges for aiding and abetting.

Contact a West Palm Beach Aiding and Abetting Crimes Lawyer Today

A Palm Beach County criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges for acting as an accessory after the fact to a crime.  Contact William Wallshein P.A. in West Palm Beach Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0777/Sections/0777.03.html