Conspiracy – Levels

In New York State, charges of conspiracy can be brought on their own or in conjunction with whichever related offense the person has also committed. Conspiracy as its own offense is chargeable in six degrees, with the lowest form of the offense being a class B misdemeanor and the highest form being a class A-1 felony. This means that depending on which degree you are being charged with, the sentence can range from a fine and a short stint behind bars all the way up to serving 25 years. As with any court proceeding, you have the right to an attorney to assist you and our experienced team of New York criminal attorneys are here to help. Call now for a free consultation and see how we can work for you.

In its lowest degree, a person will be charged with conspiracy equaling a class B misdemeanor if they agree to engage in conduct that constitutes a crime with one or more people or cause the performance of such conduct. Class B misdemeanors are the lowest form of criminal charges above a violation and can lead to up to a three-month sentence or a year of probation. Conspiracy in the fifth degree is the next highest level of the offense and is a class A misdemeanor. This level of the offense is charged when a person agrees with one or more persons to engage in or cause the performance of conduct that constitutes a felony or they agree with one or more persons under 16 being over 18 to engage in conduct constituting a crime.

The charge of conspiracy in the fourth degree is charged as an E felony and is when an agreement between two or more people is made to engage in conduct constituting a class B or C felony, the offense being agreed on being carried out is the felony of money laundering or a felony is agreed to be performed between a person over 18 and person(s) under 16. The next highest charge of the offense is charged when a person over 18 agrees with one or more persons under 16 to engage in conduct constituting a class B or C felony. This level of the offense is a class D felony, which means the sentence can be between two to seven years behind bars if convicted.

The second highest level of the offense of conspiracy is class B felony and is charged when a person agrees with one or more persons to engage in conduct constituting a class A felony. The highest level of this offense, conspiracy in the first degree, is charged when a person acts in the same way as just described but is over 18 and the other actors are below 16.

While the charges of conspiracy may begin as low-level misdemeanor, they can become incredibly serious very quickly. Our experienced team of New York criminal attorneys are here to help. Call now for a free consultation to discuss your case and see how we can help with your criminal charges.