Criminal justice accessory after the fact

An accessory before the fact is defined as someone who “counsels, hires or otherwise procures a felony to be committed.” An accessory after the fact is defines as someone who, after the commission of the felony, “harbors, conceals, maintains, or assists the principal felon.” As the names of the crimes suggest, one is

Are there defenses to accessory after the fact charges?

Yes, there are potential defenses to accessory after the fact charges.
These might include:

Lack of Knowledge:

One potential defense is that the accused did not know a crime had been committed.
If the person did not know that they were assisting a criminal, they could not be held as an accessory.

Burden of Proof

According to the Federal Trial Handbook, the government has the burden of proof to show that the defendant assisted the principal offender after the crime.

Definition

An accessory-after-the-fact is someone who assists 1) someone who has committed a crime, 2) after the person has committed the crime, 3) with knowledge that the person committed the crime, and 4) with the intent to help the person avoid arrest or punishment.
An accessory after the fact may be held liable for, among other things, obstruction of just.

Is accessory after the fact a felony?

If the principal crime is a felony, the accessory after the fact charge is often also a felony.
This applies to more serious crimes like murder, rape, armed robbery, and others.
The penalties for a felony accessory after the fact are generally more severe and can include:

a significant fine

lengthy probation

or prison time.

What is an accessory after the fact?

An accessory-after-the-fact is someone who assists 1) someone who has committed a crime, 2) after the person has committed the crime, 3) with knowledge that the person committed the crime, and 4) with the intent to help the person avoid arrest or punishment.

Who is an accessory in a criminal case?

As stated in Section 7.1.1 “Accomplice Liability”, at early common law, a defendant who helped plan the offense but was not present at the scene when the principal committed the crime was an accessory before the fact.
A defendant who helped the principal avoid detection after the principal committed the crime was an accessory after the fact.

American fugitive

Alejandro Rosales Castillo is an American fugitive who was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on October 24, 2017.
He is wanted for the August 2016 murder of Truc Quan Sandy Ly Le in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Castillo was the 516th fugitive to be placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to his capture.