When an individual faces federal charges, a conviction for those charges could lead to serious consequences. The specific allegations brought against you could affect the outcomes, but as with any criminal charge, you undoubtedly want to determine what defense options you have for addressing the legal predicament. You may even want to find out whether the charges brought against you suit the circumstances.
The possibility exists that authorities could bring federal charges against you even though you feel you do not deserve the allegations. When you do not fully understand your situation, you could easily find yourself caught up in a serious legal case. Therefore, if you have had federal drug conspiracy charges leveled against you, you may want to better understand the legal definition of conspiracy.
Elements of conspiracy
When it comes to criminal conspiracy, the situation involves two or more individuals who make an agreement to carry out an illegal act. However, in order for charges to come about, the act itself does not necessarily have to come to completion. If you participated in any actions relating to carrying out the plan, you could face conspiracy charges.
Agreement
However, rather than just accepting these charges, you may wish to further assess your actual role in the situation. For instance, you must have agreed to participate in the plan and not simply have an innocent connection.. With such an agreement, you do not necessarily have to explicitly make an “I agree” statement. An implied agreement could exist if you participated in multiple steps of the plan or otherwise assisted in the progression of the plan.
Intent
You may fear that simply because someone you know participated in federal drug crimes and you interacted with that individual that authorities could consider you a co-conspirator. However, multiple factors must point to your implicit agreement rather than just a general association. Additionally, you must have the intention of working with another individual in order to achieve the same outcome.
Criminal defense
If you have had federal conspiracy charges brought against you, related information may help you build a meaningful defense. By fully understanding the charges as well as the circumstances that led to the allegations, you may have a better chance of defending your innocence in the matter. Of course, taking on such an endeavor can seem daunting.
Luckily, you do not have to face legal proceedings alone. Enlisting the assistance of an experienced Kansas attorney could allow you to gain useful information on your legal options and defense strategies.