Simple English definitions for legal terms
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A target witness is someone who the grand jury thinks may have committed a crime or has important information about a crime. They are called a "target" because the prosecutor believes they could be charged with a crime. Just because someone works for a company that is being investigated does not mean they are automatically a target witness.
A target witness is someone who the grand jury wants to indict or has information that the grand jury is looking for. This person is considered a "putative defendant" because there is substantial evidence linking them to a crime.
For example, if the grand jury is investigating a bank robbery and they have evidence that John was involved, they may consider him a target witness. They may want to indict him or ask him questions to get more information about the crime.
Another example could be if the grand jury is investigating a company for fraud and they have evidence that the CEO was involved. The CEO would be considered a target witness, but not necessarily every employee of the company.
Target witnesses are important because they can provide valuable information to the grand jury and help them build a case against the alleged perpetrators of a crime.