When Oregonians think about being charged with a crime, they likely think about charges for an actual crime that has been committed. However, there is another category of crimes called conspiracy. In a recent blog post, this blog discussed the case of an Oregon man that was charged with criminal conspiracy to commit murder. This may have left you questioning -- what is Oregon criminal conspiracy?
A conspiracy is essentially a plan between two or more parties. While people make plans all the time, this is a plan to break the law in some way. When people come up with a plan to commit a crime, they may be committing conspiracy.
Nonetheless, to be found guilty of conspiracy, the people involved must have done more than just talked about the plan. In order for a conspiracy to occur, the people involved must take some significant step toward completing the plan. For example, purchasing a gun, writing a demand letter or scouting a bank may all be steps that result in a conspiracy to rob a bank.
In these cases, it is important to remember that the action the people take does not need to be a crime. These actions just need to show that the people had a plan to break the law at some point.
There can be a fine line between people just grandstanding and actually committing the crime of conspiracy. It is important to understand the distinction of "just talk" and an actual felony offense. Conspiracy charges, like other felonies, can result in serious charges even if the planned crime is never fully undertaken.
This blog post should be used as general information. An attorney should be consulted for specific legal advice about conspiracy -- and other felony -- charges.
Source: FindLaw.com, "Conspiracy," accessed on July 12, 2015
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