Legal Definitions - misprision of a felony

Misprision of a felony refers to the legal offense committed when an individual knows that a serious crime (a felony) has been committed by another person, but deliberately conceals this information from law enforcement authorities, rather than reporting it. This crime typically involves more than mere silence; it often requires some active step to hide the felony or prevent its discovery, without the person having been directly involved in committing the felony itself.

• Example 1: Concealing Evidence
  Imagine a person discovers their neighbor has committed a serious assault, leaving behind a weapon and other incriminating evidence. Instead of reporting it, the person helps their neighbor clean up the crime scene, wiping away fingerprints from the weapon and disposing of it in a remote location. This action constitutes misprision of a felony because the individual actively concealed evidence of a serious crime from the police.

• Example 2: Providing a False Alibi
  Consider a situation where a person's friend confesses to them that they committed a significant act of arson, burning down a commercial building (a felony). When police later question the person about their friend's whereabouts during the time of the fire, the person lies and provides a false alibi, stating their friend was with them at a different, unrelated location. By knowingly providing false information to law enforcement to protect their friend, the individual is committing misprision of a felony.

• Example 3: Hiding Financial Misconduct
  An accountant discovers that a senior executive at their company has embezzled a large sum of money, a clear felony. Instead of reporting this to the authorities or internal compliance, the accountant actively alters financial records and creates misleading reports to make the embezzlement harder to detect during an upcoming audit. This deliberate act of concealing the financial crime from discovery by authorities or those who would report it demonstrates misprision of a felony.