Virginia Beach Conspiracy Investigation 

A Virginia Beach conspiracy investigation can be complicated. One way that conspiracy cases are investigated is when the authorities catch two people in the midst of a crime. They charge the parties with conspiracy immediately without doing much investigation. On other occasions, the authorities use undercover people for drug deals and drug distribution charges. They may have somebody who works with an informant and is able to report on people who are working together to distribute drugs in an area.

They can use this testimony to establish a conspiracy among the people carrying out the crime. Other times, the authorities may arrest people and use their statements to establish a conspiracy charge. At the state level, the local law enforcement agencies and state police can be involved in conspiracy investigations. Federally, the law enforcement agencies could be the FBI or the DEA depending on the illegal activity. Talk to a Virginia Beach conspiracy lawyer for more on investigations.

Tools and Tactics in Conspiracy Investigations

Law enforcement uses undercover informants, especially when larger organizations are involved to establish who else was involved in Virginia Beach conspiracy investigations. The authorities try to send people into those organizations to identify everyone connected with the illegal activity and who should be charged.

There are two main ways to establish conspiracy. One is presence at the scene of the crime and the second way is through statements of people charged with the crime who are cooperating to help themselves. Law enforcement may talk to a person’s employer when they believe the employer is somehow involved in the case.

Releasing on Bail or Bond

The magistrate and the judge take into account the subject of the alleged conspiracy. Was it a shoplifting conspiracy or was it a murder conspiracy? They take into account the person’s past criminal record to determine when the person is a career criminal or whether or not this is their first involvement with the judicial system. They also try to determine the person’s ties to the community to see if the person is a flight risk. These factors will influence a judge’s decision to release a person on bail or bond during a Virginia Beach conspiracy investigation.

Defending an Investigation

The Commonwealth bears the burden of proving the case. The defense does not necessarily have to prove anything, but they want to show the lack of agreement. For example, when there are multiple people involved, the person had no plan to commit a crime with the other people. At most, the person was merely at the scene or was in their presence, but had no knowledge of a conspiracy.

Proving Intent

Overt acts can be used to show intent. When someone makes purchases and makes plans, the action moves beyond talking about committing a crime into the planning stages. That is what should be shown. Otherwise, the objective is to show that the persons put some thought into this and it is not merely two people idly talking.

Evidence in Conspiracy Cases

Prosecutors rely on statements from people involved. Often, one person is arrested and to help themselves, they give a statement implicating other people in the crime. The police indicate the person will get more a favorable sentence if they are cooperative. They tend to rely often on people coming forward in a Virginia Beach conspiracy investigation.