Aiding and Abetting Law in California - Penal Code 31
First, this concept holds people responsible for crimes who do not commit all of the acts necessary to be a crime. For example, suppose three people decide to go into the drug crime business together, and one person is the supplier of the drugs. In that case, drug crime business together and one person is the supplier of the drugs, another person in the group negotiates the sales of the drugs, and the third person is in charge of delivering the medicines and collecting the money.
In the above scenario, all three individuals sell drugs as aiders and abettors to the group. There are situations where each individual might escape responsibility because they did not agree to the offense, and one of the group members went outside what was foreseeable and acted on their own.
An example of this would be if the person in charge of delivering the drugs sees someone they do not like on the way and intentionally runs them over with their car. The other two group members would not be held responsible for this act because it was not foreseeable for purposes of aiding and abetting a crime.
Review Your Cases With Our Criminal Lawyers
If you have a case in one of the Los Angeles or San Fernando Valley courts and believe that you should not be held responsible as an aider and abettor, I welcome you to come into my office and discuss your situation. As an experienced aiding and abetting attorney, I can assess whether you have a good argument or not. When I meet with someone charged with a crime, I try and make it a goal of mine to come up with a game plan that we both agree upon and then set out to execute the game plan and resolve the client's case in the best way possible.
As an experienced San Fernando Valley criminal defense attorney, I have learned quite tricks of the trade. Over the years, I have noticed that once the client understands what the plan is and their role in the program, they have a sense of control back in their life and can begin moving past their criminal case. For me, peace of mind is a vast thing to capture back in the arena of criminal defense. When I can do this for a client, I know I have helped someone and done my job well.
Some Laws Related to the Concept of Aiding and Abetting
In California, it is illegal to help someone commit a crime. Aiding and abetting are described under California Penal Code Section 31. If you are accused of helping someone during the commission of a crime, the crime you will be charged with is aiding and abetting an intended crime.
Most people think that if you were not present during the actual occurrence of the crime, they might not be charged with aiding and abetting the crime. This is a common misconception. If you assisted in planning the subject crime and played a part in its commission, you will be held responsible if the offense is committed.
The fact that you have mere knowledge of a crime being committed and participated in it before, during, or after makes you guilty of this crime. For example, if John tells you that he will assault someone and after the crime, you hide him in your house or before the crime you give him a bat to use as an assault weapon, you have aided and abetted.
This is a complex concept for most people to accept because they typically believe that if they did not do all of the elements of the crime, they should not be held accountable for its commission. However, this is an entirely wrong assumption. To get a detailed understanding of what kind of cases and scenarios fall under aiding and abetting, you may want to discuss the issue with a San Fernando Valley aiding and abetting attorney.
Aiding and Abetting can cause a person to be charged with a felony offense and can sometimes be called a conspiracy depending on the specific circumstances of the crime. The penalties can be severe and result in jail or prison, depending on the exact crime you were involved with. This includes excessive fines, community service and probation, a criminal record, loss of rights such as the right to vote or carry a handgun. To prevent all these penalties, it is advised to get help from an aiding and abetting lawyer in Los Angeles County.
Hire A Qualified Los Angeles Criminal Attorney
As criminal attorneys, we understand the severity of the consequences of a felony conviction, and we do everything we can to help you. We know when the concept of aiding and abetting is applicable, and when it is not, it can make all of the difference in the world to someone charged with a serious crime. We can help you clear such confusions and misunderstandings.
The concept of aiding and abetting can charge persons under state or federal law. Suppose you do not have adequate representation from an experienced attorney or lawyer who practices in the field. In that case, the prosecutors will make sure to do everything they can to convict you and impose the harshest penalties. Our attorneys at the Hedding Law Firm will intervene and do everything to prevent that from happening. Call us and set up a free initial meeting and we will sit down with you and discuss our plan.
