Many Tampa criminal attorneys are asked by their clients about what all “conspiracy” entails with regards to their Florida or Federal criminal charge. Frankly, “conspiracy” includes a whole host of different acts. Florida Statute 777.04 provides the relevant offense classification for conspiracy, attempt and solicitation crimes in Florida. It is worth highlighting the differences between the three and why it is important to note the differences. This Statute also provides the reduction in sentencing associated with these offenses since they involve less culpability than the actual successful completion and commission of the crime.
First, conspiracy includes to some degree planning and/or coordination of efforts to do something. For example, someone charged with conspiracy to traffic in cocaine likely coordinate efforts in either purchasing, locating, transporting and/or moving the cocaine. Conspiracy cases are unique in the sense that more often than not, the Government’s cases heavily relies on the testimony of co-conspirators, who have made deals with the prosecutor. This is especially true in the Federal system, where the United States’ Attorney Office heavily relies on the use of cooperating witnesses. Obviously, this highlights the importance of quickly and aggressively identifying potential witnesses and determining what exactly they will testify to.
Secondly, attempt is arguably the easiest of the actions described in Section 777.04. Attempt is simply what it means, unsuccessfully trying to do something. This is somewhat common in higher level felonies, like murder, robbery, etc.
Lastly, solicitation requires one to attempt to do something on their behalf. This is somewhat common with murder , other crimes involving violence and/or prostitution. Obviously, the general idea is that someone is seeking another to basically do their dirty week. Again, these cases heavily rely on assistance from a co-defendant since the Government needs some sort of evidence as to the statements between the parties.
If you or someone you know is being charged with conspiracy, attempt and/or solicitation to commit some criminal act, contact the Tampa criminal attorneys of Hackworth Law for a free case consultation. We have handled thousands of cases throughout the Tampa Bay Area and we provide the aggressive representation your case demands. If you would like to contact one of our Tampa criminal attorneys immediately, please use the “contact us now” tab in the upper right hand corner of our website. We appreciate your time in checking out our Tampa criminal attorney blog and look forward to working with you.