West Virginia Code 61-10-31 – Conspiracy; construction of section; penalties
It shall be unlawful for two or more persons to conspire (1) to commit any offense against the state or (2) to defraud the state, the state or any county board of education, or any county or municipality of the state, if, in either case, one or more of such persons does any act to effect the object of the conspiracy.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 61-10-31
- Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Offense: includes every act or omission for which a fine, forfeiture, or punishment is imposed by law. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede, limit, repeal or affect the provisions of section eight, article nine, chapter three; section two, article one, chapter five; section thirty-eight, article three, chapter five-a; section seven, article seven, chapter twenty; section sixteen, article six, chapter sixty; sections seven, eight, nine and ten, article six, chapter sixty-one; or section one, article eight, chapter sixty-two; all of this code. It shall not be a defense to any prosecution under this section thirty-one that the conduct charged or proven is also a crime under any other provision or provisions of this code or the common law.
Any person who violates the provisions of this section by conspiring to commit an offense against the state which is a felony, or by conspiring to defraud the state, the state or any county board of education, or any county or municipality of the state, shall be guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for not less than one nor more than five years or by a fine of not more than $10,000, or, in the discretion of the court, by both such imprisonment and fine. Any person who violates the provisions of this section by conspiring to commit an offense against the state which is a misdemeanor shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by confinement in the county jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or, in the discretion of the court, by both such confinement and fine.