Legal Definitions - conspire

Conspire

To conspire means that two or more individuals form an agreement or understanding to work together to commit an unlawful act, or to achieve a lawful goal through illegal means. The core of conspiring involves a shared intent and a mutual commitment to carry out the wrongful plan.

Here are a few examples to illustrate this concept:

• Example 1: Financial Fraud

  Two executives at a company meet privately and agree to create false invoices and manipulate financial statements to inflate the company's profits, hoping to attract more investors. They then proceed to implement this plan.

  How this illustrates "conspire": This scenario demonstrates two individuals forming a clear agreement to commit an illegal act (financial fraud) with a shared purpose, which is the essence of conspiring.

• Example 2: Theft and Burglary

  Three individuals discuss and plan to break into a closed electronics store late at night to steal valuable merchandise. They assign roles, such as one person acting as a lookout, another disabling the alarm, and the third gathering the items.

  How this illustrates "conspire": Here, multiple people have a mutual understanding and agreement to commit a specific crime (burglary and theft), outlining their coordinated actions to achieve their illegal objective.

• Example 3: Obstruction of Justice

  During a criminal investigation, a suspect and their friend agree that the friend will provide a false alibi to the police, claiming the suspect was with them at the time of the crime, even though they were not.

  How this illustrates "conspire": This example shows two people agreeing to commit an illegal act (providing false information to law enforcement, which can constitute obstruction of justice) to protect the suspect, highlighting their shared intent to impede justice.