Anyone aiding and abetting known felons with patterns of practices of criminal liabilities and harm must also be held accountable for any crimes committed by said felons.
“Someone aids and abets the commission of a crime when (that person) acts with knowledge of the unlawful purpose of the perpetrator and the intent or purpose of committing, encouraging, or facilitating the commission of the federal offense by act or advice aids, promotes, encourages, or instigates the commission of the crime.
Title 18, United States Code, Section 2, makes it a federal offense to aid or abet the commission of another crime and says the following:
“(a) Whoever commits an offense against the United States or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces, or procures its commission is punishable as a principal.
(b) Whoever willfully causes an act to be done which, if directly performed by him or another, would be an offense against the United States, is punishable as a principal.”
To convict you of violating 18 U.S.C. 2, the federal prosecutor must prove that you associated with the criminal endeavor, knowingly participated, and sought by your own action to make the endeavor successful.
This law is often called the accomplice statute because it allows people to be prosecuted as a principal, even if they did not perform every act of the crime.
It should also be noted that although a principal is usually charged, you can be convicted for aiding and abetting, irrespective of whether the principal is convicted. ”*
* https://www.thefederalcriminalattorneys.com/aiding-and-abetting
Additional research:
https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-2474-elements-aiding-and-abetting
Note: “Most states permit criminal charges against anyone who helps another in the commission of a crime.”**
** https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/aiding-and-abetting-accessory.html
