Legal Definitions - finger

To finger someone, in a legal or investigative context, means to specifically identify an individual as the person responsible for committing a particular act, especially a crime or other serious wrongdoing.

• Example 1: During a police interrogation regarding a recent bank robbery, one of the arrested suspects decided to cooperate and fingered his accomplice as the driver of the getaway car.

  Explanation: This example illustrates the term by showing one individual identifying another as a participant in a criminal act, specifically the driver in a bank robbery.

• Example 2: After a series of anonymous complaints about embezzlement within a charity organization, an internal audit uncovered evidence, and a whistleblower subsequently fingered the former treasurer as the individual who had diverted funds for personal use.

  Explanation: Here, the term is used to describe the act of identifying a specific person as the perpetrator of a serious financial wrongdoing, even if the legal process for criminal charges has not yet fully unfolded.

• Example 3: In a grand jury proceeding investigating a large-scale drug trafficking operation, a cooperating witness provided detailed testimony that fingered the cartel leader as the mastermind behind the entire distribution network.

  Explanation: This demonstrates the term in a formal legal setting, where a witness identifies a specific individual as the primary person responsible for a major criminal enterprise.