If you’ve been involved in a street gang or other type of crime syndicate and are looking to clear your record, contacting a criminal defense attorney may be the right choice for you.
Individuals accused of involvement or membership with a criminal street gang can be faced with harsh penalties, with the most common convictions being class 2 and 3 felonies. Though it’s not the most severe of charges, felonies of this level still entail the loss of certain civil rights and major fines and jail time for the convicted.
With over a decade of experience in the courtroom on major criminal and largely felony cases, Charity Clark has spent her career crafting creative defense strategies for the most complex and serious of cases. Attorney Clark has worked all over Arizona and has built relationships with the officials of many of Arizona’s county and city courts.
There are seven criteria by which an individual can be identified as a member of a criminal street gang. Arizona law only requires two in order to presume your membership. These criteria are:
Clearly, some of these criteria are stronger than others. This means that there is more flexibility and variability when it comes to an attorney’s defense strategy. It’s important to inform your attorney of any criteria you believe does or may apply to your situation, or of any activity which may be construed as involvement with a criminal street gang.
Participation in Street Gang Crime
Participating in and assisting a criminal street gang is defined in many different ways. In general, criminal behavior in regards to street gangs includes anything that furthers the goals of the group of individuals committing the felony (or felonies) in question. This group may be formal or informal, but at least one person involved must meet two of the criteria above.
Examples of activities that could be done on the behalf of a criminal street gang include:
These activities, when done for the purpose of furthering a street gang’s goals, are enough to be considered participation in a criminal street gang. Given that violent, threatening, and intimidating behavior is a crime in itself, your charges will result in greater penalties if an association with a street gang is found.
For participation in a criminal street gang, you could be convicted with a class 2 felony, which comes with up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $150,000.
Assisting a criminal street gang is a slightly less severe charge than participating in a gang. This charge is given to individuals who commit or prepare to commit a felony offense for the benefit of a criminal street gang. If you threaten or intimidate another person by:
Then you may be faced with a class 3 felony, which is typically met with up to 7 years in prison and up to $150,000 in fines.
It’s important to discuss any prior criminal convictions with your lawyer, especially for offenses of the same type as your current charge, as these may increase the baseline penalties for your most recent offense. Additionally, though participating in and assisting criminal street gangs are felony offenses, there may be mitigating circumstances that led you to involve yourself in gang crime. These mitigating factors can be presented to a judge and could be used as an argument for why you should receive a less severe felony conviction, which could take years off your imprisonment term and reduce fines.
Charity Clark is one of the smartest attorneys I’ve ever met. She is aggressive, intelligent, and not afraid to fight for you. Her trial skills are unmatched. She knows how to handle a jury and argues the law like a champ. She will champion her client until the end and achieves real results.
Charity was amazing and took care of everything. She answered all my questions quickly and was so polite. They took care of my case with ease and definitely took a load off my shoulders. Not only did they both do great work they got the response from the court we were hoping for. Charity is "THE BEST".
Charity Clark Law is proud to serve clients located anywhere in the Phoenix metropolitan area who have been accused of street gang crime involvement. Attorney Charity Clark has defended countless clients during her 12+ years in the field and prides herself on the deep knowledge of law, personal connections, and successful defense strategies she has developed in that time.
For assistance with this important next step, contact our office to schedule a free 30 minute consultation with Charity Clark herself to discuss your case.
