Legal Definitions - animo felonico

Animo felonico is a Latin legal phrase that translates to "with felonious intent." It describes a state of mind where an individual possesses the specific purpose or intention to commit a felony. A felony is a serious crime, such as murder, robbery, arson, or aggravated assault, typically punishable by a significant prison sentence, often exceeding one year. When someone acts animo felonico, they are not merely committing a wrongful act, but they are doing so with the deliberate aim of carrying out a serious criminal offense.

• Example 1: A person meticulously plans to break into a bank after closing hours, intending to steal a large sum of money from the vault. They acquire specialized tools for bypassing security systems and study the bank's layout.

  Explanation: This individual is acting animo felonico because their detailed planning and preparations demonstrate a clear and specific intention to commit burglary and grand theft, both of which are serious felonies. Their actions are driven by the deliberate aim to carry out these serious crimes.

• Example 2: During a heated dispute, an individual retrieves a firearm from their car, points it at another person, and threatens to shoot them, intending to cause extreme fear and potentially serious harm.

  Explanation: The act of brandishing a firearm with the intent to threaten and potentially harm someone constitutes acting animo felonico. This behavior demonstrates the specific intent to commit a felony such as aggravated assault or terroristic threats, which are serious offenses involving the threat or use of a deadly weapon.

• Example 3: An employee, disgruntled after being fired, secretly accesses the company's main server with the deliberate intention of deleting critical financial data and causing significant operational damage.

  Explanation: This employee is acting animo felonico because they are intentionally committing a serious cybercrime, such as computer sabotage or malicious destruction of data, which are felonies. Their actions are not accidental but are driven by a specific criminal intent to harm the company.