Legal Definitions - instrumental crime

An instrumental crime is a criminal act committed not for its own sake, but as a means to achieve a separate, often material, objective. The crime serves as a "tool" or "instrument" to facilitate another goal, such as financial gain, acquisition of property, or access to information.

Here are some examples:

• Example 1: Bank Robbery for Financial Gain

  A person plans and executes a bank robbery with the primary goal of stealing a large sum of money. The act of robbery itself is not the ultimate objective; rather, it is the method used to acquire the desired cash.

  This illustrates an instrumental crime because the robbery is a deliberate action undertaken specifically to achieve the separate goal of obtaining money.

• Example 2: Hacking for Data Theft and Sale

  An individual illegally accesses a company's computer network to steal customer credit card information. Their intention is to then sell this stolen data on the black market for profit.

  Here, the hacking is an instrumental crime because it is the necessary step taken to acquire the valuable data, which is then used to achieve the ultimate goal of financial gain through its sale.

• Example 3: Insurance Fraud for a Payout

  Someone intentionally sets fire to their own business to collect a substantial insurance payout, falsely claiming the fire was accidental.

  This is an instrumental crime because the arson is not committed out of malice or passion, but as a calculated act designed to trigger an insurance claim and secure a financial benefit. The fire is the instrument used to obtain the payout.