Here is an idea… to make sure not to be bound by the statute of limitations… prosecute not as individual but as unit.. as .. gang… so wanted to put down the various definitions form various sources. thought of this idea while i was putting various Fla statutes in my blog when i ran across some interesting information concerning the prosecution of people… verses… gangs…. and if by definition a gang can be established as a group of individuals ……. so here is the definition:
definition from Websters American dictionary: GANG: 1A: group of people who associate or work together / 2: a group of criminals or hoodlums 3. a set of matched tools v- to band together as a group or gang( informal) to harass or attack as a group
definition from Gang from the Synonym finder: GANG: n. Group, band, pack, company gathering, 2. clique, social group set , circle, club brotherhood, fraternity, sorority, party, politics-machine, 3. squad, shift, team, troop, posse, search party 4. criminal band, group of thieves, band of /, group of bandits, underworld mob , family gang up on- informal-combine against conspire or plot against inf. get ambush attack surround
definition Blacks law dictionary: GANG: a group of persons who go about together or act in concert esp. for antisocial or criminal purposes. Many gangs ( esp. those made up of adolescents have common identifying signs and symbols such as hand signals and distinctive colors also termed street gangs.)
Also definitions of conspiracy: from Blacks Law dictionary:
conspiracy: an agreement by two or more persons to commit an unlawful act, coupled with an intent to achieve the agreement’s objective and I in most states) action or conduct that furthers the agreement; a combination for an unlawful purpose. * Conspiracy is a separate offense from the crime that is the object of the conspiracy. A conspiracy ends when the unlawful act has been committed or ( in some states) when the agreement has been abandoned. A conspiracy does not automatically end if the conspiracy’s object is defeated. ( also known as criminal conspiracy)
* “When two or more persons combine fo rthe purpose of inflicting upon another perosn an injury whih is unlawful in itself or which is rendered unlawful by teh mode in which it is inflicted.and in either case the other person suffers damage, they commit the tort of conspiracy.” PH Winfield a test book of the law of Tort 128 at 434 (5th ed. 1950)
civil conspiracy: an agreement between two or more persons to commit as unlawful act that causes damages to a person or property.
Chain conspiracy: a single conspiracy in which each person is responsible for a distinct act within the overall plan such as an agreement to produce, import, and distribute narcotics in which each person performs only one function. All participants are interested in the overall scheme and liable for all the other participants acts in furtherance of that scheme.
In a chain conspiracy the court looks to whether the parties serve as links in a chain
example: in case of Blumenthal vs. united states 1947
court found that the agreements were steps in the formulation of one larger general conspiracy. By reason of all having knowledge of the plans general scope an common end they could be drawn together in a single conspiracy.