Is It A Crime To Help Someone You Know As A Fugitive To Escape Authorities?

Question

If you personally know someone who is wanted by the law and you do not give any info. about him to the authorities, are you under any legal obligation to cooperate?

Answer 1

nope that aiding and abetting... a very serious crime you could get put in jail for long time

Answer 2

Yes.  It's called aiding and abetting.  You can get jail time for this.

Answer 3

If the cops come and ask you about him and you lie, you can get in trouble. If you let him hide out at your house or help him find somewhere to go or drive him to the bus station so he can take a bus to mexico you get into trouble too. As long as you stay away from him and don't talk to him and be honest to the police if they ask you anything you should be ok.  

Answer 4

It is called aiding and abetting, and you can get in a boat load of trouble....lot's of jail time.

yes it is a legal obligation ot cooperate

Answer 5

Yes. see "obstruction of justice" in any law book.

Answer 6

Definitely! It's called harboring a fugitive and if the cops find out then you will be taken to jail and labeled an accomplice to fleeing police you can get 5 to 10 years in jail for that

Answer 7

yes it is

Answer 8

are you helping to hide him? if so yes it is called hiding a fugitive and you can get introuble for it.

Answer 9

Only if the authorities ask you questions and you lie.

Answer 10

ya

Answer 11

Yes, as people previously stated. Can be any or all of the following crimes

Conspiracy

Obstruction of justice

Hindering an investigation

Harboring a fugitive

Aiding and Abetting

Accessory after the fact

Accomplice to any other crimes he commits while he's escaping.

Example: He escapes custody, he kills somebody, even though you didn't kill the guy the escapee killed or help him kill the guy, the fact you didn't tell him where he was to authorities refused to cooperate, and/or helped him escape, you can be charged with murder along with him and if your state or country has the death penalty, you may or may not be eligible for that too depending on the laws of that state or country. I wouldn't help him escape and I would tell them if I were you for your own sake.

Answer 12

Yup - I think it's "abetting" technically.  I think aiding is what you do before the crime, and abetting is what you do after the crime.  And I think another poster said you could be charged as an accomplice, and I think that's right, too.  So you could end up with even more charges than the original criminal - accomplice, and then abetting.

Answer 13

don't be a snitch!

Answer 14

Yes it is. Regardless of what state you live in. You can get charge for that as a accesories...

Answer 15

Yes, you can get charged with multiple crimes:  Aiding and abetting a criminal, Obstruction of Justice, Accessory to the Facts of a crime, etc.  In effect, your punishment could turn out to be more than the other criminal, if you aren't careful.  And if he does the crime again, you are really in big trouble, because you could have prevented that next crime!  Do yourself a favor, and turn him in.

Answer 16

Yes you are. :~)