The Illustrated Guide to Criminal Law
Chapter 10: We’ll All Go Down Together
Conspiracy pg 19: Accomplice Liability
Vignette headshots of Nick Ledway, Dr. Synthcore, Mrs. Flavors, and Judge Bahr, alongside the text
Unlike Solicitation, Attempt, (and Conspiracy, as we’ll soon see), being an accomplice is not a separate crime. It’s what makes multiple people liable for the same crime.
All that’s needed to be an accomplice to a crime is to help it happen, with the necessary mens rea for that offense.
There are lots of ways to help a crime—planning it, being a lookout, driving a getaway car are just a few.
All 4 of these players, as well as the Cheese and I, are accessories to the big heist, and are all equally guilty of the theft.
If he hadn’t financed the heist, would the Big Cheese be guilty of solicitation without being an accomplice?
You mean if he’d merely requested it, or even just suggested it?
I guess that scenario would be the one where he expresses interest in buying the item from them if they were to “acquire” it, but doesn’t put any money down. I would say that he probably wouldn’t be an accomplice then, since he didn’t actually help them with the crime in any way. (Unless it’s help the crime happen in their jurisdiction, in which case he’s obviously guilty)
“Me and the Cheese”