ABA Family Legal Guide

Criminal Justice

The Police and Your Rights

Criminal Charges

What is a conspiracy?

A conspiracy is an agreement between two or more people to commit a crime followed by any activity to carry out the agreement. The conspiracy itself is a separate crime. Therefore, the prosecutor can bring charges of conspiracy even if you did not complete the crime you intended to commit. Because conspiracy charges carry separate penalties, you can be convicted of both conspiracy and a crime that you or your fellow conspirators accomplished during the conspiracy (the "substantive" count). If you are convicted of both the crime and the conspiracy to commit the crime, then you will receive a sentence that covers both convictions.