CIVIL WITNESS TAMPERING CODE

Call the Federal Defense Attorneys at Wallin & Klarich Call our federal criminal defense attorneys today so we can help you with your case. If you used or attempted to use physical force to intimidate a witness, you face a federal prison sentence of up to 40 years.

CIVIL WITNESS TAMPERING CODE

Code 18 Section 1512.įederal witness intimidation is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Code 18 Section 1512)ĭepending on the circumstances of your case, federal witness intimidation can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony under U.S. What is the Punishment for a Federal Witness Intimidation Conviction? (U.S. Preventing a witness from attending a court hearing, deposition or any other legal proceeding.Using or attempting to use physical force to injure or kill a witness and.Threatening a witness’ family members or loved ones.Threatening a witness with physical violence or property damage.Asking a witness to lie, not testify, testify in a certain way, not report a crime or not cooperate with police.The witness can be a victim or an informant.Įxamples of witness intimidation include: The action does not actually have to be completed.Ī person charged with witness intimidation can either be the defendant in a case or a person who tries to interfere with a witness’ testimony on behalf of the defendant or the prosecution. To be charged with witness intimidation, it must be proven that you attempted to alter or prevent witness testimony. Code 18 Section 1512, it is illegal to interfere with witness testimony or cooperation in a criminal case. Witness intimidation is a form of obstruction of justice. Witness Intimidation (United States Code 18 Section 1512) Code 18 Section 1519, federal evidence tampering can be charged as a felony and is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. What is the Punishment for a Federal Evidence Tampering Conviction? (U.S. Destroying or altering documents in anticipation of an investigation that may occur in the future.Avoiding taxes or other required payments and.Doctoring documents to hide illegal activity.Code 18 Section 1519, it is illegal for a person to knowingly alter, conceal, falsify or destroy any record, document or tangible object with the intent to interfere with an investigation, possible investigation or any other proceeding by the federal government.Įxamples of federal tampering crimes include: Recently, institutions such as banks and corporations have been in the news for “cooking the books,” or tampering with evidence. Let’s break down the two of the most common federal tampering crimes: Tampering with Evidence (United States Code 18 Section 1519) Tampering with witnesses will only get you in further legal trouble. This is why you should retain an experienced Wallin & Klarich attorney as soon as possible to begin work on your case. Instead of taking matters into your own hands, your attorney should be the one building a strong defense on your behalf and reassuring you with answers to any questions you may have. However, doing so will only make your situation worse and strengthen the case against you. If you are being investigated for a federal crime, you may be driven to try to destroy evidence or influence witnesses in your case. The second is that it doesn’t matter if the alleged interferer intended to pervert the course of justice, if their conduct was likely to interfere.How Tampering with Witnesses or Evidence Can Lead to Serious Charges Being reckless as to the outcome of our actions may not be enough to satisfy this intent.

The first is that the alleged interferer had the intention of deterring a witness from giving evidence, or intended to influence the way the witness gave evidence. It must be proved that the interferer knew that the person was a witness or a possible witness, whether the interfering had the desired effect or not. How interfering with a witness is prosecuted A landlord to evict a tenant because the tenant gave evidence against the landlord.To remove a person from office because they gave evidence.Arresting a witness on the way to court or during court to give evidence or prevent a witness summoned from attending court.Prejudicing a case by disparaging a witness.To get a witness to say they were lying in court (perjor themselves).Punishments administered after a witness has given evidence.Intercepting a summons or subpoena being delivered to witness.Physically hurting a witness or possible witness.Interfering with a witness can mean a few things, but generally means intimidation tactics used to prevent a witness giving evidence, or to augment what they say in some way (i.e. There is no maximum sentence for this offence, as each case is taken on its own, consider a form of contempt of court. Interfering with a witness is a criminal offence, and treated seriously by the court system.

Civil witness tampering